“中国企业走进欧洲”论坛在上海闭幕

Europe is China's most important trading partner, while for the EU China is second only to the United States.

According to statistics released by Price Waterhouse Coopers, China's investment for the EU surpassed the EU's investment for China in 2011.

However, Qi Mei, counselor at the department of European Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, says Chinese enterprises "Going to Europe" are still facing multiple obstacles, which are hampering those enterprises from carrying out their projects.

"Europe has set up technical barriers in many sectors and it lacks a standard approval procedure for foreign investment. It often abuses the antitrust investigations. Visa and residence procedures are very strict and the labor law is not flexible".

Recently, China and the EU solved their solar panel disputes. Chinese manufacturer Yingli was involved in the disputes.

Yang Ming, associate general manager at the company, says the disputes have influenced their shipments to the E.U.

"Last year, the shipment to the E.U probably accounted for 60% of shipments in total. But this year, the shipment will decline to around 40%".

But Yang Ming says they consider the disputes to be a catalyst which led to them taking concrete measures in response.

"We began to transform and upgrade from a photovoltaic module manufacturer to a comprehensive power supplier. With the market becoming fiercer, we sped up technological progress and cut the costs to consolidate our competence in the market. Meanwhile, we are tapping into domestic and overseas markets, such as Africa and Latin America, so as not to simply rely on the E.U market."

Yang Ming says when the company goes about tapping into new markets, they not only need advanced technology, they also need to promote their brand.

They have successfully promoted their brand through sponsoring important football events, such as 2010 FIFA World Cup.

When it comes to Chinese enterprises going into Europe, Yang elaborates upon his company's experience.

He says Chinese enterprises should comply with the contracts and respect foreign staff.

"Firstly, credibility is very important, especially in Europe. In 2010, the market in Italy exploded. Some Chinese enterprises did not fulfill their contracts with German customers. They sold the products to Italy in order to make more money. But our company still complied with the contracts. In 2011, the market in Italy became weak, and the German customers did not trust them any more. Secondly, you should respect and trust foreign employees working within the company."

Aside from Yang Ming, many participants also shared their opinions during the forum regarding the question of how Chinese enterprises should approach difficulties in Europe and how to overcome them.

The forum concluded on Friday.

For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao in Shanghai.