ChinaLux Hosts Classical New Year Gala Dinner

On Thursday 27 February 2025, the China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ChinaLux) held its 2025 Chinese New Year Gala Dinner at the Cercle Cité on Place d'Armes in Luxembourg city centre, the second of two large gala dinners to be held this week, the other being held in Mondorf-les-Bains on Monday evening (https://chronicle.lu/category/community/53618-chinese-year-of-the-snake-welcomed-in-mondorf).

The Black Tie event attracted 240 people who enjoyed a classical-style event, involving a welcome aperitif, a number of speeches and a gala dinner, with the Gala Awards being held between courses.

Moderated by Jacques Bortuzzo, ChinaLux Vice President, the formal part of the evening commenced with a video presentation of ChinaLux’s comprehensive range of activities in 2024.

He talked about the Chinese New Year, their Spring Festival, which has recently been added to the list of intangible cultural assets of UNESCO.

Zhujun Xie, ChinaLux President, talked in both English and in French, referencing other Chinese community new year celebrations in the Grand Duchy, with the chamber’s kept to the last. She recounted the chamber’s activities in 2025, explaining that they have built on foundations already laid. She talked about the chamber’s involvement in addressing trade, investment and innovation, and she thanked all supporters and sponsors involved throughout the year, emphasising their unwavering commitment.

Gilles Roth, Luxembourg's Minister of Finance, welcomed everyone and referenced the Year of the Snake which signifies wisdom, transformation and resilience which, he said, reflects the relationship between the two countries. He mentioned his recent visit to China, mentioning that Luxembourg has become China’s gateway to Europe. He also mentioned China’s banks having their European headquarters in Luxembourg, a gateway to Europe. He also talked about China’s links with the Luxembourg stock exchange. He then mentioned challenges in the current geopolitics environment, and the financial centre here, with China at the forefront of the financial revolution. Finance is also moving towards sustainability, with the Luxembourg Stock Exchange listing green bonds, including those from China. He concluded by stating that he expects China and Luxembourg to remain close partners for years to come.

Hua Ning, the Ambassador of China to Luxembourg, confirmed that today is the last day of the Chinese lunar month. He talked about China’s economy in 2024 which had a year-on-year growth of 5.5%. He touched on certain economic sectors and said that China was encouraging green investment. He also referenced DeepSeek and AliBaba which are rewriting the rules of traditional economy. Green energy now accounts for 40% of energy production, with 50% of all new cars sold being electric.  He mentioned 2025 being the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII as well as the 89th anniversary of the end of Japan’s aggression towards China. He touched on the treat of tariffs and access to mineral resources, and stated that China has always stood for peace and justice, addressing sustainable peace across Europe. He encouraged the further development of EU-China relations which would help future stability. Luxembourg has become the largest recipient of Chinese investment in Europe due to its attractive investment environment.  

Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg, mentioned the Year of the Snake and confided that he looked up in which Chinese year he was born and found it was the Year of the Buffalo. He said he had discussions with many senior representatives in China during his recent visits to Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Hong Kong, including the vice-premier Ding. He said that discussions focussed on building up together, painting Luxembourg as the centre of finance in Europe. He talked about diplomacy and encouraged everyone to build closer ties and relationships with China, even though others may try to make divisions. The Luxembourg-China relationship is historic and can be built upon, together, with common projects.

AWARDS

With ChinaLux having over 150 corporate and individual members, the three most active and influential members of ChinaLux for 2024 were announced:

The Bronze Trophy was presented by Zhujun Xie, ChinaLux President, and Tom Theobald, Luxembourg for Finance director, to Elos Investment.

The Silver Trophy was presented by the Ambassador of China, Hua Ning, to the Bank of China (Luxembourg) which was first established in Luxembourg in 1979.

The Gold Trophy was presented by Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel to Banque International Luxembourg (BIL).

The evening continued with a three-course meal served to the tables, with business networking between courses.