On July 12, the CEIBS Insights 2019 Europe Forum series made its latest stop in Brussels for a special roundtable workshop on the theme of The 4th Industrial Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges for Europe and China. The event, co-hosted by European economic think tank Bruegel, brought together nearly 100 representatives from CEIBS, the European Commission, the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union, and the EFMD, among others, for discussions exploring how China and Europe can balance policy and market forces to achieve sustainable technological innovation, how SMEs in both regions can leverage opportunities to expand into overseas markets, and how both sides can work together to improve bilateral cooperation.

Charge d’Affaires ad interim for the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union Wang Hongjian, a representative of the Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Ms. Elzbieta Bienkowskaand European Commission Deputy Director-General for Implementation, Impact & Sustainable Investment Strategies Mr. Patrick Child delivered keynote speeches at the event.

As CEIBS President and Professor of Management Li Mingjun noted in his welcome address, 2019 is a critical year for the Europe 2020 Strategy, and technological innovation is now crucial for sustaining Europe’s economic growth. As Chinafurther opens its doors to the outside world, he added, EU countries will discover new opportunities to take innovative technology from the lab to the market. “We look forward to establishing a foundation for communication with this forum,” Prof. Li said. “And to building a lasting and stable platform for the integration of innovation resources between China and the EU.”

Bruegel Director Dr. Guntram B. Wolff also welcomed participants to the event with a speech in which he noted the need to reflect together on current opportunities and challenges. He further added that the topic of the forum is important because “[it stands at] the intersection of new digital technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, on the one hand, and industrial processes, on the other hand, and manufacturing processes. This interlinkage is at the core of the business model certainly of several economies in the EU, but also as the core of significant parts of the Chinese economy.”

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Charge d’Affaires ad interim for the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union Wang Hongjian then offered a keynote speech on Innovation Cooperation Offers New Highlights in China-Europe Cooperation. In his speech, Mr. Wang emphasised that China and the EU should be more open and inclusive in their cooperation on innovation, should further align their innovation policies to achieve mutual benefits and should work to make long-term strategic plans. “Looking ahead, China and the EU are faced with shared challenges which will reshape the future of humankind, such as climate change, the new technology revolution, resources and environment challenges,” he stated. “China and the EU, as two major players, are duty-bound to join forces with a mind-set of reform and innovation, and to make a greater contribution to world peace, development and prosperity.”

CEIBS Distinguished Professor, Former World Trade Organisation Director-General and Notre Europe Honorary President Pascal Lamy continued with the next keynote speech of the event, in which he discussed the topic of Sino-EU Cooperation Under the New International Economic Order. In his speech, Prof. Lamy emphasised the point that, despite current challenges and uncertainties, there remains ample space for China and the EU to work together in areas of research and innovation. “We have a series of areas where we are already [involved in a lot of] cooperation, [including] food, agriculture, biotech, the environment and health,” he said. “So there are many reasons to move forward and enhance or foster and increase cooperation – many of them domestic and many global. This is how we should look at this picture.”

Bruegel Deputy Director Dr. Maria Demertzis moderated the first session of the day on the topic of Research and Innovation: Competition or Cooperation in the EU-China Context? Shanghai Institutes for International Studies President Chen Dongxiao, CEIBS Vice President and Dean Ding Yuan, and Bruegel Senior Fellow Prof. Reinhilde Veugelers participated in the panel discussion, in which they took an in-depth look at how “co-opetition” (or co-operative competition) in the development of new technologies is acting as a driving force for the 4^th Industrial Revolution and how complementary priorities and strategies represent bright prospects for EU-China cooperation.

Following the luncheon, EFMD CEO and Director General Eric Cornuel traced the history of CEIBS to Brussels as “the Heart of Europe” and reviewed some of its world-renowned achievements in academic innovation over the past 25 years. “There is no doubt that innovation is a catalyst for growth built on the foundation of creative drive, co-operation and openness,” Prof. Cornuel said, adding later that, “China and Europe more than ever should get closer and create a favourable environment for innovation, growth and mutual understanding. No doubt CEIBS is an instrument of this co-operation.”

CEIBS Associate Dean (Research) and Professor of Economics and Finance Xu Bin then delivered a keynote speech on China’s Innovation Potential and Its Global Implication. In his speech, Prof. Xu noted that China’s investment in innovation has led to situation in which “it is inevitable that advanced countries will have direct competition with China.” At the same time, he said that the country’s development has resulted in increased demand for services imported to China and that companies seeking to maintain a competitive advantage “should make more effort to specialise in variety, in quality, and in brand.”

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CEIBS Board of Directors Co-chairman and EFMD Honorary Chairman Dr. Gerard Van Schaik moderated the second session of the day, in which he invited participants to join a discussion on the theme of Industrial Approaches in Innovation Cooperation Between China and EU. Panellists featured China-EU Association President Luigi Gambardella; WINNER Technology Co., Inc. President and CEO Mr. Zhang Hongjun (CEIBS EMBA 2013); and DFKI Robotics Innovation Center Bremen Director Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Frank Kirchner. During the course of the discussion, participants shared their views on key drivers, incentives and best practices for innovation, and offered suggestions on how China and the EU can work both independently and collaboratively to foster innovation in the future.

Today’s event was co-organised by CEIBS and Bruegel, with support from the EU-China Business Association, the EFMD, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies and the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union, as is part of the CEIBS Insights 2019 Europe Forum series. The Europe Forum Series coincides with the on-going CEIBS 25^th Anniversary Celebration and will wrap up in October with events in both Paris and London. For more details about these and other upcoming CEIBS events, please visit our events page here.