Highlights 2021
The Summit
The “Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe”
is a high-level, biennial business conference on Sino-European relations. Initiated in 2004 by Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, the “Hamburg Summit” is the leading platform for business, political and academic leaders to discuss issues of mutual interest, and has in the past attracted high-level representatives from European, Chinese and international political and business leaders.
Agenda
- 09:15 CET
-
Opening Session
Welcome Addresses
Opening Speeches - 09:40 CET
-
EU-China Economic Dialogue on post-pandemic cooperation
Keynotes
The corona crisis has caused serious and lasting disruption to the global economy and has brought to light the fragility of and dependencies in international value and supply chains. This has fuelled already ongoing debates on diversification, nearshoring and (re-)localisation. While EU trade policy is being aligned to resilience, strategic autonomy and decarbonisation, China’s leadership has also committed itself to a new growth model that is more efficient, innovation driven, consumption-led and sustainable. At the same time, geopolitical tensions between the US and China and growing discontent of European business in China with regard to market-access, non-tariff trade barriers and political interference in corporate governance have led to a paradigm shift in the EU’s approach to China. So what are the determinants of post-pandemic economic cooperation between the EU and China? Is “coopetition” a feasible approach for the future? - 09:55 CET
- Expert Panel: “Prospects for EU-China economic cooperation after the pandemic”
- 10:45 CET
-
Industry Dialogue: “Opening up or closing in? New approaches to trade and investment in China and Europe”
Sino-European economic relations are characterized by two opposite trends. While China became the EU's largest trading partner for goods in 2020, European and German companies in China are increasing addressing difficult market conditions in the country and the lack of a level playing field, and the EU has tightened regulation on Foreign Direct Investment and extended its trade defence toolbox, particularly with a view on China. The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) between China and the EU, which is for the time being stalled due to mutual sanctions, has some improvement in store for European companies in China, but is far from solving all issues. For the future, the question arises as to whether the two economic areas will open or close towards each other. Are the investment regimes in the EU and China converging? What impact will the Dual Circulation-strategy have on European companies? How will EU trade defence instruments affect Chinese investment and bilateral trade? - 11:35 CET
-
Explorative Session: “Regional integration as driver of innovation networks in China and Europe”
China is fostering the regional integration of different mega clusters, such as the Yangtze-River Delta and the Greater Bay Area. These projects not only aim at accelerating China´s industrial manufacturing capabilities and improving competitiveness in various industries but also to improve people’s daily life by innovation in different sectors and better environmental surrounding.
While China mainly follows a top-down approach, most European projects were set-up by regional initiatives. How can regional integration act as driver for innovation clusters? What can be the role of regional integration to reach global climate goals? What kind of incentives are necessary to foster added value? - 12:25 CET
- Meet & Greet (virtual networking area)
- 12:40 CET
-
Academy Session A: “China Standards 2035 and its impact on European companies”
Technical standards apply to a wide range of industries, shape products and the interoperability of products and processes. Since recent years, innovative Chinese companies from different industries are participating in larger number in technical standards meetings and inserting greater influence on the process. China has created the national “China Standards 2035” strategy to play a decisive role in affecting and shaping standards in industries defined in “Made in China 2025”. The emerging of a third standardization system in addition to the European- and the US-American system will have consequences for European consequences. What will be the influence of a Chinese standardization system on future industries? How will “China Standards 2035” will affect innovations? What will be the role of European standards in 2030?
- 13:35 CET
-
Trilateral Forum: „Resilient and sustainable supply chains of the future“
With the COVID-19 pandemic international supply chains faced a stress test most of them did not pass. Companies were forced to react to new challenges of quickly changing customer demands, production delays or failing logistics chains. After the crisis has exposed the underlying complexities and vulnerabilities of global supply chains, businesses now not only have to take political and economic factors into consideration building up their supplier and distribution networks. They will also need to focus on how to increase resilience against any kind of com-ing global crisis and improved sustainability in order to reach climate goals. This panel will focus on the question if diversification or localization will lead to more resilient supply chains. Will China’s “Dual Circulation” and the EUs “strategic autonomy” regionalize supply chains. What is the impact of a necessary CO2 reduction on the shortening of supply chains? - 14:30 CET
- Keynote
- 14:45 CET
- Concluding Session / Outlook 202X
- 15:00 CET
- End of program
Speakers

Corinne Abele
Chief Representative, gtai Shanghai

Prof. Norbert Aust
President, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

Thomas Becker
Managing Director, STRING Network

Josep Borrell
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission for a Stronger Europe in the World

Simon Cheetham
Team Leader, China IPR Helpdesk

Dr. Kosmas Ellinas
Co-Founder, Managing Director, NanoPlasmas

Jens Eskelund
Managing Director Maersk China Ltd.

Dr. Mikko Huotari
Executive Director, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), Berlin

Fraser Howie
Independent Analyst, Co-author of Red Capitalism

Prof. Dr. Jiang Feng
University Council Chair, Shanghai International Studies University

Monika Jones
International News Anchor

Luisa Kinzius
Director, Sinolytics GmbH

Li Yizhong
Chairman, CFIE

Robert Lorenz-Meyer
Conference Chairman, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

Luan Guangfu
Rotating President, CHINT Group

Clas Neumann
Chairperson of the Board of German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai

Dr. Janka Oertel
Director, Asia Programme, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)

Denis Redonnet
Deputy Director General / Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, EU DG Trade

Rada Rodriguez
CEO/ GM / Vice President, Signify / German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI)

Luisa Santos
Deputy Director General, BusinessEurope

Jörg-Michael Scheil
Partner, Schulz Noack Bärwinkel (SNB Law)

Rieke Schües
Managing Director, United Europe

Dr. Willy Shih
Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School

Dr. Rolf Strittmatter
CEO Hamburg Invest

Dr. Peter Tschentscher
First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany

Eric Wang
Director, Vice President MIDEA Group

Jörg Wuttke
President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China

Xiang Jie
President, Brose China

Betty Xu
Director, Seconded European Standardisation Expert in China (SESEC)

Dr. Xu Yingming
Deputy Director General of the Institute of International Market Research, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under Ministry of Commerce, P.R.C.

Yi Sun
Partner, Head of China Business Services Europe West, EY

Zhang Lihong
VP IP and Legal Department, Shanghai MicroPort Medical (Group) Co., Ltd.