Is China still a market full of opportunities for Benelux companies? This question brought forty participants together on October 8 at China Caf\u00e9 Zuid in Eindhoven. The evening presented a surprisingly positive picture of doing business in China, while at the same time focusing on the challenges of increasing competition, geopolitical tensions and the need to adapt to a rapidly changing market.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>

The event, organized by the Netherlands-China Association (VNC) in close cooperation with the Benelux Chamber of Commerce, was hosted and moderated by Lianne Baaij. It brought together perspectives from business, finance and diplomacy, with contributions from Jonathan Xu (Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China), Brian Bl\u00f6mer (MSA Advisory Asia), Mr. Yuan Jin (Economic and Commercial Attach\u00e9 at the Chinese Embassy) and Mathijs de Boer (Rabobank).<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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A more positive outlook than expected<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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Brian Bl\u00f6mer presented the most recent findings of the Sino Benelux Business Survey, conducted by the Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China in collaboration with MSA Advisory Asia. Based on responses from around 120 companies, the study showed an improving business environment for Benelux companies operating in China.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In 2025, 80% of respondents reported profits, while 52% achieved revenue growth of more than 5%. China also remains strategically important, with 94% of respondents considering the country a top-3 market or as important as their other major markets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Perhaps even more striking was the decline in the number of companies considering moving operations out of China: from 41% to 21%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, challenges remain. Fierce competition from Chinese companies, concerns about a level playing field, tax and compliance requirements, and geopolitical uncertainty continue to influence business decisions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The general conclusion? Benelux companies are cautiously optimistic. Instead of leaving China, they are adjusting their strategies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Chinese perspective: dialogue and mutual trust<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. Yuan Jin welcomed the relatively positive conclusions of the study. Notably, he noted that Chinese companies operating in Europe have similar concerns about uncertainty, regulation and geopolitical tensions, while sticking to their long-term commitment to the European market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He acknowledged that the Chinese business environment is not perfect and that foreign companies sometimes experience differences between national policies and their local implementation. According to Mr. Jin is working with the Chinese government to address these issues through dialogue with foreign enterprises and initiatives aimed at improving the investment climate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The discussion also covered sensitive issues such as fair competition, trade imbalances and overcapacity in industry. While acknowledging the differences between the European and Chinese perspectives, Mr. Jin the importance of continued negotiations, mutual trust and a willingness to listen to each other’s concerns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When asked what he would advise a Dutch company that was hesitant to enter China due to geopolitical tensions, his first answer brought a smile from the audience: he would invite them to dinner. Behind the humor was a serious message: business decisions should also be based on long-term commercial opportunities, and not just on geopolitical uncertainty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Adaptation instead of withdrawal<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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The panel discussion explored what the research results mean in practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rabobank’s Mathijs de Boer explained that companies are increasingly adopting a China Plus One strategy: they maintain their presence in China, while at the same time expanding into other Asian markets to spread risk. However, moving production is not as easy as it seems. China’s highly developed supply chains, skilled workforce, and technological capabilities are difficult to replicate elsewhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jonathan Xu emphasized the importance of localization. Companies that invested early in local teams, local decision-making, and a deeper understanding of the Chinese market are often better positioned to respond to change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Speed was another recurring theme. Brian Bl\u00f6mer noted that Chinese companies are particularly strong in technology, innovation and rapid decision-making. European companies need to become more agile if they want to remain competitive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the same time, European companies continue to offer important assets, including specialised knowledge, cutting-edge technology, design and international cooperation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Opportunities for those who offer added value<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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Looking ahead, the message was clear: China is no longer just a cheap manufacturing location. It has become a market where innovation, research and development, and technological cooperation play an increasingly important role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Opportunities continue to exist in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, food technology, and advanced manufacturing. But entering the Chinese market requires careful preparation, a clear strategy and, above all, a real understanding of where a company can add value.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As Mathijs de Boer emphasized, companies considering China should do their research, surround themselves with expert partners, and determine what makes their offering relevant to the Chinese market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The main conclusion of the evening was that China remains a market with significant opportunities, but that success increasingly depends on flexibility, localization, speed and willingness to cooperate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The event ended with informal networking, where participants were given the opportunity to continue the conversation over Chinese snacks provided by St Anny Food, the sponsor of China Caf\u00e9 Zuid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Eindhoven, 8 October 2026 Is China still a market full of opportunities for Benelux companies? This question brought forty participants together on October 8 at China Caf\u00e9 Zuid in Eindhoven. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":851,"featured_media":47914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[335,336,409,344],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics-and-business","category-event-reports","category-in-the-carousel","category-reports-china-cafe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/851"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47932"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47945,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47932\/revisions\/47945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vnc-china.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}