Dezan Shira & Associates Joins the 2025 Understanding China Conference in Brussels

Industries

On December 10, Riccardo Benussi, Partner, attended the 2025 Understanding China Conference, the flagship annual event of the EU SME Centre. Building on the firm’s presence at last year’s edition, Dezan Shira & Associates continued its engagement with this important platform for policy and market intelligence, with Riccardo joining the full-day programme and reconnecting with the EU SME Centre, a long-standing institutional partner of the firm 

The conference took place in a hybrid format at the Renaissance Brussels Hotel and online, bringing together policymakers, analysts, business leaders, and industry specialists at a time of ongoing adjustment in Europe’s engagement with China. 

A Full-Day Programme Focused on EU–China Relations 

The conference opened with remarks from Igor Kalinic, Head of Sector for Competitiveness and Internationalization at EISMEA, and Lorenzo Riccardi, Coordinator of the EU SME Centre Phase V Consortium and Chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), setting the stage for a day of policy and market-focused discussions. 

 Riccardo Benussi and Lorenzo Riccardi, Coordinator of the EU SME Centre and Chairman of the CICC

Then, it moved into a series of sessions examining the status of EU–China relations, China’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, and the policy shifts expected to shape the regulatory and operating environment for SMEs. The Centre is currently in its fifth phase (2025–2028), continuing its efforts to support European SMEs engaging with the Chinese market. 

Riccardo Benussi with Davide Orlandi, EU Partnerships Manager at the EU SME Centre

Throughout the day, sessions covered Europe’s de-risking approach, China’s innovation and green development priorities, digital transformation and data security, and the latest shifts in Chinese consumer behavior. The event concluded with a networking cocktail, offering space for cross-country exchanges among representatives of chambers, business support organizations, service providers, and SMEs. 

Reflecting on the discussions and insights shared throughout the event, Riccardo commented: "As usual the EU SME Centre can pool together some of the most brilliant think tanks and professionals alongside the EU's Commissioners for East Asia. My takeaway is that there is a widening  gap of mutual perception between Brussels and Beijing, which confirms that regulatory unpredictability is here to stay. For European businesses, risk management has officially replaced efficiency as the primary strategic driver. As China’s 2026-2030 Five-Year Plan approaches, companies cannot wait for political normalization but must instead build flexible, dual-supply systems where understanding Beijing’s policy rationale is now just as critical as optimizing your own logistics. So, to EU companies out there: contact us to take safe steps into China.

Dezan Shira & Associates’ Presence in Europe 

Incorporated in Munich in January of 2021, Dezan Shira & Associates’ European presence serves as a first point of contact for European companies wishing to do business in Asia. In both the Munich and Milan offices, our European-based team works with a variety of partners to educate businesses on the economic performance and regulatory environment of developing Asian economies. 

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