Beijing office

                    With the current pace and scale of urbanization in China, the need to improve building efficiency in order to meet environmental and energy standards and goals is becoming more and more apparent. The green building market is developing and growing rapidly year after year, and the Chinese government has now selected 40 cities including Beijing to undergo energy efficiency retrofits. The government has already decided to achieve a 65% energy consumption reduction on new constructions as compared to existing buildings. These new opportunities and standards also bring numerous challenges and costs. In this dynamic context, our two guest speakers will stress the opportunities and challenges of international Cleantech companies in China.   Mr. Marco Rhyner, Chief Representative China from Cleantech Switzerland, China liaison office will introduce the Chinese Green Building market their projects in China as well as the opportunities and challenges for Cleantech Switzerland.   Ms. Jolanda Jonkhart, Director of Trade and Development Programme, Regional Coordinator for East and Southeast Asia at INBAR (International network for Bamboo and Rattan), will explain the potential in structural applications of bamboo composite. He will stress the barriers in the market such as the lack of building code regulations.   Registration   To register please send an email to info@cameraitacina.com by Tuesday, 27th of November 2012 at noon.

  Event Description The EU SME Centre and the China IPR SME Helpdesk are organising a breakfast seminar on how to find and work with Chinese business partners. This seminar will deliver key messages on how to effectively protect your company`s assets in business dealings with China, as well as give an overview of the most important considerations when working with Chinese business partners. The experts from the EU SME Centre and the China IPR SME Helpdesk will provide practical and business-focused advice on doing business in China and will give you the opportunity to: - Find out more about due diligence when dealing with legal, financial and operational issues - Learn useful and practical tips on how to protect your business - Gain insight in what the term ‘trade secrets’ means, and learn how to use them in your relations with (potential) Chinese business partners - Learn why trade secrets are important to protect your company’s intellectual property - Get the opportunity to book a private one-on-one consultation session with one of the experts following the seminar to discuss issues you may have in a confidential environment. Breakfast will be served during the seminar.   Tentative Agenda 08.00 am - 08.30 am Registration and networking 08.30 am - 09.15 am - Introduction to the EU SME Centre                             - Preliminary due diligence on business partners                                  Helen Ju, Legal Manager, EU SME Centre 09.15 am - 10.00 am - Introduction to the China IPR SME Helpdesk                                  - Using Trade Secrets to protect your Intellectual Property with business partners                                  Beata Suwala, IP Expert, China IPR SME Helpdesk 10.00 am - 10.30 am Q&A Session One-on-One Consultation Sessions If you would like to receive confidential One-on-One advice about your business in China, sign up for a free, 20-minute consultation with the experts of the EU SME Centre or the China IPR SME Helpdesk. To ensure you have a chance to meet with the experts, please book your session in advance by indicating your interest when you register. Please specify the nature of your question and the expert you wish to book a session with. The One-on-One consultations are open to European SMEs on a first-come, first-served basis. Any information you provide to the EU SME Centre and the China IPR SME Helpdesk with be treated as confidential. Speaker Biographies Helen Ju, Legal Manager, EU SME Centre Helen is a legal expert at the EU SME Centre providing legal advice on various aspects of economic cooperation between Europe and China to EU SMEs looking to establish themselves in the Chinese market. Before joining EU SME Centre, Helen worked as a lawyer for over seven years specializing in foreign direct investment, general corporate and commercial laws, and tax law etc. Among others, she provided full legal support to clients from Europe, the US and Singapore, advising on the feasibility of their proposed transaction models and compliance of the models with PRC regulations, issuing legal opinion and advice, and drafting and reviewing legal documents. She also has five years’ experience with an export and import company. Helen has gained broad knowledge and rich experience especially in company law, labour law, contract law, tax law and social insurance law. Beata Suwala, IP Expert, China IPR SME Helpdesk Beata is a Polish patent attorney and European trademark attorney.She holds a master degree in law from the University of Warsaw and obtained a LL.M degree in IP Law in Spain. Beata has worked for more than three years in law firms in Poland and in Spain where she dealt with international IP portfolios including IP rights prosecutions, enforcement actions and drafting contracts. Afterwards she joined the European IPR Helpdesk, where she advised on IP and in particular on technology transfer under the European Commission`s funded projects (the 7th Framework Programme and Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme). Beata joined the China IPR SME Helpdesk in June 2011. Registration and cancellation China IPR SME Helpdesk events are available to European Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and SME intermediary organisations such as embassies or consulates, chambers of commerce and trade associations only. China IPR SME Helpdesk events are closed to law firms and consultants who offer IPR services. If you meet the criteria and would like to attend please register by emailing registration@eusmecentre.org.cn with the name and date of the event in the subject line and your company information. You will receive a confirmation email. Because places are limited, in the case of unexpected cancellations please inform the Helpdesk as soon as possible. About the China IPR SME Helpdesk The China IPR SME Helpdesk provides free information, first-line advice and training to SMEs to protect and enforce their IPR in China. The Helpdesk’s services are free to European SMEs and SME intermediaries (including EU embassies) and includes training events in China and Europe; online tools and materials at www.china-iprhelpdesk.eu and tailored advice from our expert by phone, Email or through the website. About the EU SME Centre The EU SME Centre is a support service provider for European SMEs facilitating market access in China. The Centre provides practical information, advice and business tools free of charge, aimed at better equipping SMEs to develop their business and tackle challenges faced in the Chinese market. The online portal www.eusmecentre.org.cn will help SMEs gain a clearer insight into conducting business in China, by offering professional information and confidential advice. 

    Rally your colleagues, business partners and friends as we leaf (!) summer behind and huddle together at our Autumn Joint Chamber Networking.   Whether you are stuck in the post - October holiday blues or wondering how the summer passed so quickly, join us and the other European Chambers in Beijing as we welcome one of the city’s most pleasant seasons at another of our great networking events.   Catch up with old friends, make new contacts and extend your network with industry leaders over a few drinks and nibbles as the Chamber’s get together and help you make the right connections.   So, perk up and get out of the office to feel the crisp October air on your face, as we welcome you to our Autumn Joint Chamber Networking!

  Last year China decided on a new Social Insurance Law for Foreigners, and Beijing was the first city to implement it. CICC has already discussed the new social insurance law for foreigners just before its implementation, but now one year has passed, and it`s time to see where we actually stand.   - What has actually changed for expatriates and employers? - What are the differences between the different regions? - What are the future tendencies?   To answer these questions and more for you, we are proud to announce that our speakers of the day will be Chet Scheltema from Dezan Shira and Kristie Tien from HIL Lawyers.   Speaker Biography   • Chet Scheltema, Senior Associate, Business Development at Dezan Shira Chet Scheltema is a member of the Business Development team of Dezan Shira & Associates. Prior to joining Dezan Shira & Associates, Chet was Director of Property and Real Estate for China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) in Beijing, where he managed the CNOOC Tower and several other facilities and projects in Beijing. Chet is a licensed US attorney and practiced business law in the US for 5+ years. Chet earned a law degree (JD) from the University of Illinois, an MBA from Cambridge University, and a bachelor degree from San Diego State University. • Krisite Tien - Lawyer at HIL Kristie Tien holds a bachelor`s and master`s degree in Dutch law from University of Amsterdam. She also obtained an LL.M degree in International Law and Human Rights Protection from Universidad de Alcala in Spain. She worked for one year at the research department of a European Union agency in Vienna. Currently, she works at HIL`s Shanghai and Beijing offices. She specializes in corporate law (including foreign direct investment and M&A), commercial law (including sales, agency, sourcing, distribution and supply agreements), and social security law. She has assisted many foreign clients with the incorporation and implementation of a subsidiary in China (including WFOEs and Joint Ventures).