Many Flemish companies in China are continuing to focus on a small number of large, well-known cities, like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen. However, numerous member companies are encountering mature, increasingly saturated markets with limited growth opportunities in these locations and finding themselves facing mounting competition, both from foreign rivals and from increasingly sophisticated Chinese companies.

The FCCC’s ’s strategy is to give our members a better insight into business opportunities in second- and third-tier cities.

The FCCC has a strong network in China thanks to partnerships and investments by our founding members in several cities.

We would like to organize an industrial fact-finding trip to Shandong province with a limited group of companies, to become better acquainted with the area and meet potential partners and senior officials. The mission will start from Beijing and take in the cities of Jinan, Qingdao and Weihai.

Shandong is China’s third most populous province and also has the third-highest GDP. It offers attractive opportunities for business in the following sectors: food and agriculture, infrastructure, energy, minerals and chemicals, renewables and the environment, advanced engineering, professional services, retail and consumer goods. In short, all major industries are represented in Shandong, and its broad range of industrial and commercial activity offers great potential prospects for Flemish businesses in many sectors.

During the visit, participants will gain a clearer picture of the trade- and investment-related advantages of Shandong’s various cities and development zones. Furthermore they will be given access to senior Chinese officials and meet European entrepreneurs who have already invested in these areas and potential Chinese business associates.

The dates for the visit to Shandong province are 21 to 24 May 2012.

Please send us any comments you may have and let us know by 15 March 2012 whether or not your company would be interested in taking part in this focused industrial fact-finding mission, by sending an e-mail to gwenn.sonck@flanders-china.be . We will send you the programme and a subscription form as soon as we have evaluated the interest in such a visit.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require more information.

The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce and the Flanders Cleantech Association are organizing a meeting with a delegation, led by a group of Chinese Mayors of second- and third-tier cities in China.

This visit is organized in the framework of an exchange programme of The Climate Group, which is an organization based in the UK with offices worldwide, including Beijing and focusing on climate change and low carbon area. The aim of their visit is to facilitate the dialogue, trade and investment between Chinese cities and Europe on cleantech and environmental technologies.

This meeting “Leadership in Low-carbon Growth” will take place at 9 am on February 16 at the Hooge Maey, Haven 550 in Antwerp.

The delegation, which consists of a group of Mayors of second- or third-tier cities, are from the following cities: Lanzhou (Gansu province), Guiyang (Guizhou province), Zhuhai (Guangdong province), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. A complete list of the delegation can be obtained at: info@flanders-china.be
Programme:
9h10 – 9h20      Introduction by Mrs Gwenn Sonck, Executive Director, Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce
9h20 – 9h30      Presentation Flanders Cleantech Association by Mr Dirk Fransaer, Managing Director, VITO
9h30 – 10h00    Presentation “Waste management in Flanders: Policy instruments & Results” by Mrs An Vandeputte, Project Manager, OVAM/Public Waste Agency of Flanders
10h00 – 10h20  Presentation “Sustainable Landfilling” by Mr Daniel Dirickx, Director, Hooge Maey
10h20 – 10h40  Presentation “Renewable Chemicals from Algae” by Mr Bert Lemmens,
 Project Manager Renewable Chemicals, VITO
10h40 – 11h00   Presentation “Enhanced Landfill Mining as a new concept for sustainable materials management” by Mr Karl Vrancken, Research Coordinator, VITO

11h00 – 11h30   Coffee break
11h30 – 12h30   Site visit Hooge Maey
12h30 – 14h30   Lunch at Hooge Maey

Presentation of the Climate Group by Mr Luc Bas, European Programme  Director
   Presentation of the participating companies (slide presentation) and the members of the Chinese delegation

This meeting will give you the opportunity to introduce your company’s activities to leaders from second and third-tier cities. Companies can join the whole morning programme and the lunch or join the lunch only.

Participation fee for FCCC members: 75€, non-members: 110€

In order to introduce your company to the Chinese delegation, we kindly ask you to fill in the subscription form and return it to info@flanders-china.be before 8 February 2012.

This visit is being organized with the support of Flanders Investment & Trade.

The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) and Group T-International University College Leuven are organizing the Annual Flanders-China Job Fair at Vesalius Campus (Andreas Vesaliusstraat 13, 3000 Leuven) on Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 13:00 to 18:00. 

This job fair is a unique opportunity to present your company to Group T’s Chinese and other international students, to its alumni, and to young Chinese professionals. 

During the job fair you will be able to meet students from the following programs:
Bachelors of Science in Engineering: Electromechanical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Chemical Engineering
Masters of Science in Engineering: Electromechanical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering
Postgraduates: International Postgraduate Program in Enterprising, International Postgraduate Program in Logistics Management

The Flanders-China Job Fair also gives you the opportunity to offer these students and alumni internships, company projects, and longer-term learning tracks in your company.

Program

13:00     Registration

Setting up of stalls

14:00     Official opening of the fair by:

H.E. Liao Liqiang, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Belgium

Prof. Dr. Johan De Graeve, President and Chief Executive of Group T

Ms. Gwenn Sonck, Executive Director of FCCC.

14:15     Job fair, one-on-one meetings with students and alumni

17:00     Networking drink

18:00     End

Companies are welcome to publish their profile, job openings, and projects online and will also receive online access to the students’ CVs.

The registration fee is €300 for members, €475 for everyone else. Read more and register online (till April 19, 2012) at www.flanders-china.be. 

During the month of April, the Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce organizes similar job fairs in collaboration with Ghent University, the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

International mobility and flexibility have become key factors in today’s business climate. Immigration procedures remain very strict and compliance with local immigration and social law is controlled and severely sanctioned in case of non-compliance.

The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce (FCCC), in cooperation with Deloitte and the Port of Antwerp, is therefore organizing an information session on aspects of immigration and social legislation which will focus on the posting of Chinese nationals to Belgium and vice versa. More precisely, the following topics will be discussed:

A. Update on important International mobility issues for Chinese and European nationals:

1. Blue card – the European work permit
2. New rules on reuniting families.
3. The Schengen Area and free movement within the EU
4. EU comparative immigration study
5. Business trips and rules governing work permits

B. Advantages of concluding a social security treaty between Belgium and China:

1. To secure eligibility for social security benefits for Chinese nationals in Belgium.
2. The new Chinese social security system: an overview of the most important new rules.
3. Conclusion of a treaty between Belgium and China: the scope of its content and the way forward.

The aim of this event is to provide sound knowledge and understanding of the aforementioned issues, to enable companies to meet various requirements on a timely basis and avoid losing precious time or wasting resources.

The speakers will be Erwin Vandervelde and Matthias Lommers, who are a Partner and Senior Manager at Deloitte respectively.

The information session will take place at 3.30 p.m. on Tuesday 21 February at the Port of Antwerp, Entrepotkaai 1, 2000 Antwerp and will be followed by a networking cocktail in the MAS Port Pavilion. This multimedia information center at the foot of the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) is an iconic location for the port community.
To participate, please register online by Tuesday 15 February 2012 at the latest. Participation fee for members: €65; non members: €95.

Important notice: the New Year reception has been moved from 15 to 16 February.

The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) is organizing its Chinese New Year Reception with speeches by:

Mr Bert DE GRAEVE, Chairman Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce

His Excellency Mr LIAO Liqiang, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Belgium

Mr Didier REYNDERS, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs

The reception will take place on 16 February 2012 at 18h30 at KBC Bank, Havenlaan 2, 1080 Brussels.

Participation for FCCC members: €20. Participation for non-members: €45.

Registration on the FCCC website at www.flanders-china.be