Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Wednesday 12 February 2025, the China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (China-Lux) held a Chinese New Year Reception, at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels.

Around 340 members and guests attended the ever-popular event which was moderated by Shi Na of the Chamber of Commerce and commenced with a number of speeches followed by a cultural component, concluding with a networking reception.

Shi Na opened the evening by introducing the special occasion on the lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year this year celebrating the Year of the Snake.

Fernand Ernster, President, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, delivered the Welcome Speech and wished everyone a Happy New Year in Chinese before switching to English. He said that the snake represents wisdom, prosperity and transformation. He talked about the economic and cultural ties between China and Luxembourg, as well as strong diplomatic ties, mentioning Ambassador Hua Ning and Minister Lex Delles. He mentioned last year's trade mission to China across finance, logistics and sustainable technology with 36 Luxembourg companies taking art along with the Deputy Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, and Minister Lex Delles. He concluded that he was looking forward to navigating the challenges and opportunities within an ever-changing global landscape.

Lex Delles, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, also referenced last year's trade mission to China, referencing the automotive sector in which they had a number of automotive companies in Shanghai. He also referenced the Confucius Centre in Luxembourg and the Dragon Boat Race in Remich, as well as the direct flights between the two countries which started in December 2023. He also talked about signing four MoUs in the Cleantech sector during the trade mission, and mentioned that Chinese buses are expected to be delivered to Luxembourg in the coming months.

Hua Ning, Chinese Ambassador to Luxembourg, thanked the organisers, the three organisations. He mentioned that this is the 18th such celebration and said that the arrival of the Year of the Snake is very timely (in adaptability) in that it is time for change, mentioning the threatened "tariff war". While China is under greater pressure, both domestically and internationally, it did achieve a 5% growth last year. China's economy continues to evolve, from manufacturing to CleanTech as well as AI, etc., areas from which future growth will come. He welcomed the imminent arrival of Chinese electric vehicles, and referenced the 7-8 Chinese banks already in Luxembourg, looking ahead to innovation and so-called unicorn companies. He said that both small and medium-sized companies are welcome in China, and said that both China and Luxembourg both have stable business environments which he said are important for business growth. He said that China's economy is resilient and, while China still has strong trade ties with the US, this has fallen from 14% a few years ago to 11% last year. He said that both China and the EU are facing similar challenges and hopes that both can navigate them together. He concluded be referencing the visa-free policy which China operates and is expected to conclude at the end of this year.

Shirley Yung, Special Representative of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the EU, focussed on doing business in Hong Kong which received 45 million visitors last year, a significant multiple of its population. She said that it offers the best of both worlds, of both the Chinese mainland and international trade. It is ranked in the top three international financial centres along with New York and London. It hosts 2,700 family offices and many start-ups and welcomes innovation from companies and countries, including Luxembourg, referencing a free trade agreement. She mentioned recent direct flights between Brussels and Hong Kong which she described as a "super-connector".

Zhujun Xie, President of the China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, delivered the closing remarks as part of the formal part of the event. She talked about the qualities of the Year of the Snake, namely wisdom, adaptability and determination and also mentioned last year's trade mission to China and January's visit of Luxembourg's Finance Minister, Gilles Roth, to China. She talked about cooperation and exchange between members of the business community in both China and Luxembourg. She concluded by thanking the organisers for making the event a success: "Let's continue to build bridges".

The cultural programme comprised a dragon dance, with seven artists from the Ecole Wuxing in Thionville operating a twelve-metre dragon for almost 30 minutes, culminating in the formation of a Chinese character.

The evening concluded with a networking reception.

ED