China News Service Shenzhen (Suo Youwei, Zhang Weitong, Huang Ruiyu) The 9th Shenzhen Business Ceremony and the "China-Europe Economic Cooperation Forum" of the China Entrepreneurs Club's 20-year series of activities were held on the 11th at the Qianhai International Convention Center in Shenzhen. The forum focused on the theme of "Invest in Shenzhen, Go to Europe" and explored two-way investment and cooperation paths around emerging industries such as new energy, financial technology, life and health, cultural tourism, and digital economy.

According to Chinese customs data, from January to November 2025, the total trade volume between China and Europe reached US$749.34 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.6%. The two sides have formed a deep symbiotic relationship with "nearly 1.5 million U.S. dollars in trade per minute"; Shenzhen is becoming a key hub for China-EU cooperation. In 2025, China-Europe Railway Express (Shenzhen) will operate 202 export trains throughout the year, a year-on-year increase of 49.6%, with a cargo value of 6.87 billion yuan, reaching 47 countries and regions.

Forum site. Photo by Peng Cheng

In his speech, Zhuang Lixiang, former deputy secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and founding president of the Shenzhen Chamber of Commerce, said that China-EU cooperation has gone beyond simple transactions and entered a new stage of mutual learning of technology and industrial chain collaboration. "Through a series of two-way interactions of 'bringing in' and 'going global', it not only helps Chinese and European enterprises achieve mutual technological learning and market sharing, but also generates new productive forces through collaborative innovation in the industrial chain, creating significant economic increments for both parties."

Currently, Shenzhen has become a "training ground" and "port of departure" for companies to go to Europe. From January to November 2025, Shenzhen's total import and export value to the EU was 589.35 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.7%, of which the "three new" exports of lithium batteries, electric vehicles, and photovoltaic products surged by 31.2%.

As the economic engine and innovation highland of Shenzhen, Nanshan District has taken the lead in creating a systematic support platform for enterprises to go overseas. "We help companies make diagnosis and matching, and recommend 'specialists' to solve problems in vertical fields." Li Xiaoye, general manager of the Nanshan District Global Service Center (Go Global), said that the center has established a cooperation network with more than 50 APEC regions to provide companies with 24-hour full-process response, truly realizing "going out to sea from a solitary adventure to a coordinated voyage."

Zheng Song, Chairman of Xiongdi Technology, shared his thoughts on using "digital identity" technology to promote Sino-European cooperation. "Digital identity can build a bridge between China and Europe and bridge the digital divide. I believe that better cooperation can be achieved through the coordination of regulatory frameworks."

Forum site. Photo by Peng Cheng

Cao Dewang, founder of Fuyao Glass, proposed from the perspective of manufacturing globalization that companies going overseas not only build overseas factories and expand markets, but also take technology as the core and respect as the basis, integrate into local culture and communities, and assume social responsibilities. He quoted the ancient saying "A wise man changes when he encounters changes, and a wise man changes when he hears changes", emphasizing that entrepreneurs should proactively adapt to environmental changes and adhere to integrity and original intentions.

At the forum, Chinese and European guests held pragmatic dialogues around specific industries. New energy, financial technology, cultural tourism and other fields were regarded as the most promising directions for cooperation.

Data show that among EU investments in China, the proportion of R&D center and regional headquarters projects has exceeded 35% for the first time in history. Eric Sarrazin, honorary chairman of the Swiss Service Center of the Shenzhen Chamber of Commerce, said: "Switzerland's advantages in wealth management and intellectual property protection are highly complementary to Shenzhen's innovative vitality and market potential."