The fourth Shanghai Position Paper 2020/2021 evaluates the local business and regulatory environments for foreign investment in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and makes recommendations to facilitate a swift economic recovery. Touted as a symbol of China’s market liberalisation and the sustained confidence of international investment, in the eyes of the European business community this event has so far amounted to little more than an ambitious trade fair.

With 38 detailed recommendations on how the local government can address the challenges of the local business environment and unlock further development potential, the Shanghai Position Paper has been published in advance of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE). Touted as a symbol of China’s market liberalisation and the sustained confidence of international investment, in the eyes of the European business community this event has so far amounted to little more than an ambitious trade fair.

While European companies are willing to bring more investment to Shanghai and help expand the city’s economy, they must first see concrete changes, not more high-level yet ambiguous plans.

Read full press release here.

Since the launch of the Nanjing Chapter’s first Nanjing Position Paper in 2017, greater communication between the European business community and the local government has helped to meaningfully improve the local business environment of Nanjing and Jiangsu. With the goal of further advancing this constructive dialogue, the Nanjing chapter and its more than 100 members have launched the second Nanjing Position Paper to identify recently emerged and long-lasting concerns and also propose corresponding recommendations to local and provincial leaders in the following three main areas:

• The ease of doing business and SME attraction
• Good governance and Nanjing’s development model
• Increasing the attractiveness of Nanjing and Jiangsu 

This document forms a critical role in shaping our conversations with the Nanjing and Jiangsu governments, and sets the advocacy agenda of the Nanjing Chapter.

Please click here to view the English press release.

The second edition of the South China Position Paper builds on the success of the first one released in 2015. It compiles the latest assessments and concerns of European businesses operating in South China and offers constructive recommendations to local policy makers. The 2019/2020 edition evaluates the region’s ongoing development and provides recommendations on how the government can create a business environment that facilitates further development and attracts fresh investment.

The South China Position Paper presents key recommendations on three themes: the quality of the business environment and the foundations for its industrial upgrade, the stability of regional human resources, and the attractiveness of the province for foreign investment. Critical as some of the South China Position Paper’s recommendations may seem, they are proposed in an honest effort to improve the business environment in South China for both domestic and foreign companies alike.

Please click here to view the English press release and here to view the Chinese press release.

In this second Southwest China Position Paper, the European Chamber puts forward recommendations to the local governments of Chengdu and Chongqing on how they can improve their local business environments and attract more international investment, while alleviating the concerns of European companies already operating in the region.

The European Chamber argues that while the development of 'hard infrastructure'—roads, bridges and railways—has helped to connect Southwest China with the rest of the world and open up more investment opportunities, slowing growth has necessitated a reappraisal of the region's traditional economic base. To successfully upgrade its heavy industries and shift towards smart manufacturing and the provision of services, Southwest China needs to focus on developing 'soft infrastructure', or human capital and institutions. By improving public governance, law enforcement, the financial system, education and healthcare, as well as creating the right conditions to attract and retain a skilled workforce, Chengdu and Chongqing can begin to rival other leading investment destinations in China.

Please click here to view the English press release and here to view the Chinese press release.

This is the third edition of the Shanghai Position Paper, which continues the series of standalone local Position Papers that the European Chamber has been releasing since January 2015.

The Shanghai Position Paper 2018/2019 argues that the clock is ticking for Shanghai to achieve its developmental goals of becoming an international economic, trade, financial, shipping and logistics, and innovation centre by 2020. Specifically, the paper discusses how Shanghai can increase its innovation capacity, foster its manufacturing competitiveness, become more important for global finance, improve its quality of life and gather the best global talent.

Please click here to view English press release. And please click here to view Chinese press release.