“China has reached the point of no return – the country needs to deepen reforms to avoid the middle-income trap. We can no longer depend on investment; we need to rely on innovation and economic reforms to deliver the next wave of economic growth.”
Jiang Jianqing, Chairman of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), quoted in the Shanghai Daily, January 23, 2016.

The VUB Confucius Institute is happy to announce the newly established Chinese language courses at the VUB Etterbeek campus in Brussels.

Are you a beginner who is eager to discover and learn Chinese? Can you speak some Chinese but want to improve? Can you speak and write Chinese fluently but want to refine your knowledge? If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, then consider following the language courses. You will be immersed in the Chinese language and learn with a native speaker. The language courses are open to anyone who wants to learn and practise Chinese. There are group or private lessons for every level: beginner (Level 1.1.), intermediate (Level based on pre-assessment) and advanced (Level 3.1.).

Lessons start the week of 8 February 2016 and end the week of 6 June 2016.

Monday (18:00 – 21:00) | BEGINNER (Level 1.1.) | 195 Euro
Tuesday (12:00 – 14:00) | BEGINNER (Level 1.1) | 130 Euro
Wednesday (18:00 – 21:00) | INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED (Level 3.1.) | 195 Euro
Thursday (12:00 – 13:00) | ONE HOUR PRACTICE SESSION for BEGINNERS (Level 1.1.) open to students from classes on Monday and on Tuesday. | 65 Euro

The extended enrolment deadline is 1 February 2016.

Are you looking for more information, contact us via e-mail vub-ci@vub.ac.be.

The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce, the EU-China Business Association and The Conference Board are organizing the following webinar :
Date: 26 January, 2016 15:00 PM CET | 18:30 PM IST | 21:00 PM HKT Time Zone Converter 
If you can’t make the date, register anyway and we’ll send you a recording! 
https://www.conference-board.org/webcasts/webcastdetail.cfm?webcastid=3575

Register now at no charge.
While China’s market still holds huge promise for European multinationals, finding the pockets of increasing demand can be difficult. Even more puzzling is how to satisfy that demand, given that so many would-be consumers still have little to spend and hold unfamiliar consumption preferences. Combined with a slowing economy, identifying the best growth markets will only get more challenging.

Join this webcast to gain insights into how our City Strata and Connected Spendersframeworks will help European companies create value from China’s consumption growth, despite the uncertainties.

Key takeaways:
Strategies to capture these opportunities and a toolset for how to proceed
A prioritization of the Chinese cities in which to invest
A framework for identifying the Chinese consumers businesses should be engaging
Featuring: Louise Keely, President, The Demand Institute Read Bio

Ethan Cramer-Flood (Moderator), Associate Director, China and Asia Programs, China Center for Economics and Business, The Conference Board Read Bio

Place: King & Wood Mallesons, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE

The China Association is organizing a lunch at which EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, will speak on the topic “The EU and China: trade and investment in the global economy”. The event will run from 12:30 to 14:00 and will take place at the premises of King & Wood Mallesons, who will be our kind host and sponsor on this occasion. A buffet lunch will precede the Commissioner’s talk, which will be followed by questions from the floor. There is no attendance fee. We expect interest in this event to be strong so please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Register here

This event is organized with the support of the EU-China Business Association (EUCBA).

9 AM – 11 AM –, Thursday, 28th January, 2016 | Eurochambres, Avenue des Arts, 19 A/DB-1000 Brussels, Belgium

Join our Inter-Chamber SME Working Group meeting that will be held in Brussels for the first time on Thursday, 28th January. During this meeting, we will have the privilege to welcome representatives of European SMEs with presence in China to share their experiences in the Chinese market.
PROGRAMME

9.00 am – 9.10 am       Opening remarks
9.10 am – 9.20 am       Introduction of Inter-Chamber SME Working Group
9.20 am – 9.40 am      Challenges faced by European SMEs in China by Mr. Massimo Bagnasco, Managing Partner at Progetto CMR

9.40 am – 10.00 am    Opportunities for EU SMEs in China’s Cross-Border E-Commerce by Mr. Rosario di Maggio, Associate Director at Vistra

10.00 am – 10.20 am   How to protect your IPR in China by Mr. Carlo Diego D’Andrea, Managing Director at D’Andrea & Partners Law Firm

10.20 am – 11.00 am    Q&A and Roundtable Session

Register now!
Registration: This event is free of charge, but only opens to:
European small and medium-sized enterprises
SME intermediary organisations such as embassies or consulates,
chambers of commerce, international organisations and industry associations
If you would like to attend, please send an email to Xavier SansPowell.
More Related Content Available on the EU SME Centre Website.