The Governor and Vice Governors of the Province of West Flanders are organizing a business lunch “Intellectual Property Rights in China”, on Tuesday, 22 May 2012, from 11.30 h. till 14.30 h. at Provinciaal Hof, Markt 3 in Brugge.

The Province of West Flanders has a cooperation of more than a decennium with the Chinese province of Zhejiang, aiming to strengthen the position of West Flanders in the global economy by actions in the fields of economy, education, and agriculture. Together with the POM West Flanders, VOKA and the Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce, the province is organizing the business lunch “Intellectual Property Rights in China”. The aim is to bring together the economic and academic circles in West Flanders to determine the opportunities for research and internships in China.

Programme:

11.00 h.     Registration of the participants.
11.30 h.     Welcome by Mr. Carl Decaluwé, Governor of the Province of Wets Flanders
General introduction to intellectual property rights in China by Mr. Raphaël Bailly, De Wolf & Partners
Intellectual Property Rights in China: a foucsed case study by Mr. Peter Waumans, European Law Matrix
IPR Helpdesk EU: Introduction to services by Mr. Philippe Healey, IPR Helpdesk EU
Educational institutions call on enterprises for sustainable cooperation on research and internships in China

14.30 h.    Concluding remarks by Mr.Gunter Pertry, Vice Governor for Education

Participation fee: €50 euro
Registration before 15 May 2012 via the registration form. Confirmation and an invoice will be sent. After receipt of payment, registration is final. More information:
Kristien Vandamme Tel: +32-50-403359 Mobile: +32-497051869
 E-mail: kristien.vandamme@west-vlaanderen.be

The Friends of Europe is organizing a high level conference entitled ‘EU-China urbanization partnership’ at the Concert Noble in Brussels on Thursday, 3 May 2012 from 09.00 h. to 14.30 h. Join Li Keqiang, Vice Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China and a few hundred key stakeholders from business, cities, institutions, governments, academia and civil society of Europe and China, as well as the international press to discuss EU-China cooperation on urbanization. 

The launch of the EU-China Partnership on Sustainable Urbanization has added a practical and dynamic new element into EU-China relations. Given the array of challenges they face in adapting to the urban century, China and Europe have a strong interest in working together to build better cities. The high-level conference will allow European and Chinese stakeholders to discuss win-win solutions in sustainable city planning and urban infrastructure and mobility.

SPEAKERS:

– Li Keqiang, Vice Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China

– Günther Oettinger European Commissioner for Energy
- Guo Jinlong, Mayor of Beijing, China

– Ilmar Reepalu, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden

– Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, China

– Klaus Wowereit*, Mayor of Berlin, Germany

– Chen Yuan, Governor of the National Development Bank, China

– Qiu Baoxing, Vice Minister of Housing and Urban Rural Development (MOHURD), China

– Jan Olbrycht MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament Urban Intergroup

The high-level conference will be co-moderated by Xu Xianping, Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy, Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe and Shada Islam, Head of Policy of Friends of Europe.

Programme:

Please download the programme or visit the website at www.friendsofeurope.org for regular updates on speakers and the full programme.

– Session I: EU-China cooperation on urbanization

– Session II: Sustainable city planning

– Session III: Urban infrastructure and mobility

Languages: simultaneous interpretation English – Chinese (Mandarin)

Register online: download the registration form for non of Friends of Europe members or REGISTER ONLINE. The registration will be confirmed by a separate e-mail.

Partners: The high level conference is organized by the National Development and Reform Commission, of Europe, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, with media partner ’s World.

of Europe an independent think tank for EU policy analysis and debate: Biblioèque Solvay, Parc Léopold, 137 rue Belliard, 1040 Brussels Tel: +32-2-7391581 Fax: +32-2-7387597 www.friendsofeurope.org

Through its membership of the EU-China Business Association, the Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce offered its members an exclusive opportunity to participate in the Hannover Messe from 23-27 April.

Hannover Messe is a leading global trade fair embracing the whole spectrum of technological and engineering expertise from around the world. China was the Partner Country this year.

FCCC members were able to benefit from a range of first-class opportunities as a co-exhibitor on the joint DCW-EUCBA stand ‘Doing Business with China’. They had also high-profile sponsorship and speaking opportunities in a number of China-related events, including ‘Invest in China’ and ‘EU-China Business & Technology Forum’.

The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) and Group T-International University College Leuven organized the Annual Flanders-China Job Fair at Vesalius Campus in Leuven.

Several Belgian companies were able to introduce themselves to more than 100 Chinese students and had successful discussions on the possibilities in future company projects, internships, longer-term learning tracks and/or future job opportunities.

This event was organized with the support of Flanders Investment & Trade.

Many Belgian companies pursue business opportunities in China using Hong Kong as their gateway to the Mainland. Financing and tax considerations are probably the two most important drivers that are considered when opting for this setup. Therefore the Flanders-China Chamber organized a seminar with testimonials of professionals on the ground from KBC Bank and Deloitte.

Mr Coen Ysebaert, Partner of Deloitte Belgium and Chinese Services Group Leader, gave us an introduction about Deloitte in Asia and Mr Jason Lee, CEO of KBC China, introduced to KBC in Asia.

During the first part, Mr Koenraad Van de Borne, Head of the European Network Desk of KBC China, gave a clear view on the critical success factors and the banking perspective in Mainland China. Mr Gerd De Vuyst, Director Audit and Enterprise Risk Services of Deloitte China, showed what the current financial and business risks are in China.

After a short break Mr Jo Vander Stuyft, First Vice President European Desk – Corporate Banking of KBC Hong Kong, explained how we can use Hong Kong as our gateway to China. He also gave us an insight on the internationalization of the RMB. Mr Wouter Claes, Managing Director Belgium Tax Services of Deloitte Hong Kong, concluded this interesting seminar with a presentation on the relevance of Hong Kong for Asia bound investments from a tax perspective.

This seminar was organized with the support of Flanders Investment & Trade.