Nation a vita market for Europe

苏珊

China remains a key market for European companies asits economic resilience and large domestic market are vital forthem to stay globally competitive， according to a survey re-leased on 29th August by the China Council for the Promotionof International Trade.

About 19 percent of European companies said that theyhave expanded their production and business scale in China，while 65 percent said that they have maintained their currentoperational scale， the study said.

The survey interviewed nearly 160 European companieson issues related to their business outlook， investment climateand market conditions in the first half of 2022.

The vast majority of European multinationals are confi-dent in the prospects of the Chinese market， said Sun Xiao，spokesman for the Beijing-based CCPIT.

For instance， European aircraft manufacturer Airbus SElaunched a new research center in Suzhou， Jiangsu province，in June， to focus on research for its futuristic hydrogen-pow-ered aircraft. German chemical group BASF SE gave thegreen light for the construction of its planned Verbund sitechemical production project in Zhanjiang， Guangdong prov-ince， in July.

In addition to implementing a new negative list for for-eign investment to further broaden market access， the govern-ment abolished， revised or enacted 520 regulations to improvethe legal environment for foreign investment. The governmentalso ramped up efforts to ensure the legitimate rights and in-terests of foreign businesses， the Ministry of Commerce said lastweek.

China's advantages， including a complete industrial system，a lucrative market， social stability， and positive long- term eco-nomic fundamentals， as well as the smooth operation of China-Europe freight train services， have created a solid foundation forthe growth of European companies， said Sang Baichuan， dean ofthe Institute of International Economy at the University of Interna-tional Business and Economics in Beijing.

Trade between China and the European Union grew by 8.9percent on a yearly basis t0 3.23 trillion yuan （$466.79 billion） inthe first seven months of 2022， statistics from the General Admin-istration of Customs showed.

Meanwhile， as this year marks the 30th anniversary of the es-tablishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Repub-lic of Korea， Sun， spokesman of the CCPIT， stressed that the eco-nomic and trade cooperation between the two countries is highlycomplementary and has huge potential.

"Against the backdrop of multiple risks such as internation-al geopolitical conflicts， slowing global economic growth， contin-ued spread of the epidemic and anti-globalization， companiesfrom the two sides should jointly maintain the stability of industri-al and supply chains， maintain regional market opening， andstrengthen anti-epidemic cooperation，"said Sun， who is also thesecretary-general of the China Chamber of International Com-merce.

With China and the ROK making substantial progress on thesecond phase of their free trade agreement negotiations， Sun saidthat business communities of the two countries have broad pros-pects for cooperation in economy and trade， especially in the ar-eas of the digital and marine economy， green innovation and in-dustrial and supply chains.

Ko Kwang-ho， president of the China unit of Seoul-head-quartered Korean Air Co， the largest airline by fleet size in theROK， said the company expects to expand routes between Chinaand the ROK， upgrade services and expand cooperation with Chi-nese airlines in the coming years.

中國国际贸易促进委员会8月29日发布的一项调研显示，欧洲跨国公司持续看好中国市场，中国经济发展的韧性以及国内大市场对欧洲跨国公司保持强大的吸引力。

中国贸促会的调研显示，19%的在华欧洲企业表示扩大了现有生产业务规模，65%表示维持了生产业务规模。

中国贸促会就2022年上半年的商业前景、投资环境和市场状况等问题采访了近160家欧洲跨国企业。

中国贸促会新闻发言人孙晓表示，绝大部分欧洲跨国企业对中国市场前景充满信心。

例如，6月份，空中客车中国研发中心落户江苏苏州，专注于氢动力飞机的研究。7月份，德国化工集团巴斯夫公司决定在广东湛江建设一体化基地项目。

除了实施新的外资准入负面清单，进一步扩大外资市场准入，还废除、修订、颁布了520项条例，优化外商投资法律制度。商务部上周表示，将加大对外商投资合法权益的保护力度。

对外经济贸易大学国际经济研究院院长桑百川表示，中国具有完整的工业体系，市场巨大、社会稳定，具有长期向好的经济基础，以及中欧班列的顺利运行，这些优势为欧洲跨国公司在华发展奠定了坚实的基础。

海关总署统计数据显示，2022年前7个月，中国与欧盟的贸易额同比增长8.9%，达3.23万亿元。

今年是中韩建交30周年，中国贸促会新闻发言人、中国国际商会秘书长孙晓强调，两国经贸合作互补性强，潜力巨大。

孙晓称：“在国际地缘政治冲突、世界经济增长放缓、疫情持续蔓延、逆‘全球化等多重风险交织叠加的背景下，中韩两国企业应共同维护产业链供应链稳定，保持区域市场开放，加强抗疫合作。”

随着中韩自由贸易协定第二阶段谈判取得实质性进展，孙晓表示，两国工商界在经贸领域，特别是在数字和海洋经济、绿色创新以及产业和供应链领域，有着广阔的合作前景。

大韩航空大中华区本部长高光浩表示，该公司希望在未来几年增开中韩航线，升级服务，并扩大与中国航空公司的合作。总部位于首尔的大韩航空公司是韩国机队规模最大的航空公司。