CEA and BLCC Singapore Online Business Matching Event

As the transportation hub and gateway to Asia, Singapore has always been favoured by companies from all over the world with its unique geographical location and free trade policy. Over the years, Chinese enterprises and the companies of Belgium and Luxembourg have carried out in-depth business discussions and cooperation in many fields.

In order to further promote and strengthen the cooperation between these companies in the Asian market, as well as to promote the understanding and business expansion of the European market, China Enterprises Association (Singapore) and Belgium Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Singapore have successfully held the first online business matching event on December 1, 2020 . Strong support was received from members and teams of both associations, and more than 20 companies have participated in this matchmaking event and provided very positive feedback.

To prepare for this event between entrepreneurs from both associations, China Enterprises Association (Singapore) and the Belgium Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Singapore held several meetings in advance to prepare for the events. Mr. FU Xiaohui, Secretary-General of the China Enterprise Association and Chief Representative of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in Singapore, commented: ‘Chinese enterprises are spreading all over the world, and more and more Chinese companies are setting up SEA regional headquarters in Singapore as gateway to enter the South East Asia market and connecting the overseas market to Europe and North America. At the same time, many European companies choose Singapore as their regional office, and they are also learning about Asia and China through Singapore. In the future, the two business associations could organize different events such as online business matching events due to the Covid-19 measures. These events will create more opportunities for exchanges and cooperation for the long-term business operations of the member companies for both associations after the epidemic.’

Ms. YANG Weixun, Standing Assistant Secretary-General of China Enterprises Association (Singapore), gave a speech at the business matchmaking event: ‘Since the establishment of China Enterprises Association (Singapore) in 1999, the total number of registered members has exceeded 700. The industry covers trade, finance, shipping, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications and technology, culture and education etc. We hope that this matchmaking event will provide a good platform for leading companies in new and different industries to further explore Sino-European cooperation in different fields.‘

Ms. Isabelle Alvarez，the President of BLCC and the Managing Director of Victor Bucks Services Asia, which is headquartered in Luxembourg , has spoken highly of this event: ‘The three countries have a lot of cooperation in various fields. I am very happy that this successful business matchmaking event could bring more business opportunities to the Members of both associations. Everyone’s interest in each other’s market was evident and there are high expectations for future collaboration. I hope that more events could be held in the future to further promote the development of companies from the three countries in Asia and Europe.’

Transportation and Logistics, Fintech, AI and other hi-tech industries offer lots of potential development opportunities as well as the leading industries in Singapore. There are also the prominent companies in Singapore for Chinese and Belgian Luxembourg enterprises in these industries. This event is held to facilitate further in-depth cooperation in these areas.

One of the initiators of this event, the Secretary-General of the Belgium Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, and the General Manager of BD Asia Consulting, Ms. GAO Bo, shared the intention of co-organizing this event with China Enterprises Association (Singapore). As a consulting company helping cross border business development in the field of AI and healthcare technology, we are well aware of the pain points of start-ups and SMEs in international expansion, especially finding the right business partners in overseas markets and how to integrate into the local ecosystem are very challenging. We hope that such activities could build a bridge between Chinese and European companies and play a more active and effective role in promoting the in-depth cooperation for our members between two associations through this platform.

‘As market leader with our unique Industry Solutions for the Food & Retail sectors, I was delighted to join this event on behalf of Delaware to present and share our deep experience in digital transformation and compliance and seek out opportunities for collaboration or even explore new markets.

From all Business Matching events I attended, I found this one the best structured and run. It has given me the opportunity to meet and have productive conversations with a diverse group of professionals. Personally, I enjoy the intensity and pace of the event. It really gets your networking juices flowing. Looking forward to the next event!’ commented from Mr. Anish Paraam of Delaware.

Mr. Angelo PNG, Sales & Business Development of China Telecom (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd. remarked:

‘I attended the event organised by the CEA and BLCC. I have to say that although it was a bit too short, it was a great way to network and meet as many business people in a short time.

It also gave me an opportunity to share about China Telecom Asia Pacific (CTAP), the incumbent Telecommunication company in China, how Singapore was established about a year ago as the Asia Pacific HQ. China Telecom is one of the world’s leading Telecom company in APAC , if not the world, it offers a full suite of data, voice and infrastructure services over the cloud. CTAP helps companies connect globally and in smart way into and out of China. Companies looking to connect the world and China should look at CTAP.’

‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank BLCC-CEA for organizing this very successful meeting. The meeting has been a great success in all possible respects. We hope to continue more networking so as to facilitate more business cooperation. ‘

– China Eastern Airlines, Singapore Branch

Mr. Sjoerd de Clerck, General Manager of ST Engineering iDirect addressed: ‘It was a great session, very relevant companies and perfectly organised, not easy with so many participants and the added complexity of the multiple breakout rooms, well done!’

Ms. Vivienne WU, the Marketing Director of China Merchants Energy Shipping (Singapore) Holding Pte Ltd (CMESS) said:

‘As Marketing director at CMESS, I was fortunate to participate in this event and benefited a lot. In this event, I not only met many friends from Belgium and even Europe, but also obtained many potential business opportunities through group discussions. For example, in the logistics sector, food trading sector etc. There are also many brilliant sparks and new ideas in the communication. For example, we can start from the food trade and use our marine alliance e-commerce platform to bring excellent European/Belgian products to Singapore. Establish ‘European Corner’ / ‘Belgian Corner’ on our e-commerce platform. While helping European/Belgian excellent products successfully land in Singapore, it also brings benefits to our local residents in Singapore.’

As a Chinese poem says :’Start a new fire and try the fresh tea, embrace and take the chance in the best of life.’

In 2021, we are looking forward to more online and offline exchanges and interactive activities between the two Associations and providing more support and interactive platforms for the business expansion of member companies from both associations in Singapore, Asia and Europe.

Special thanks to Standing Assistant Secretary-General of China Enterprises Association (Singapore), Ms. Yang Weixun, Secretary of China Enterprises Association (Singapore), Ms. YAN Li and Event Manager of the Belgium Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Jaqueline Tysebaer.