EUVP Visit Story – Liam Ziqi Jia
Are you considering applying for an EUVP visit? Ever wondered how EUVP programmes are organised and what their outcomes are? Follow the “EUVP visit stories”, featuring unique reports and testimonials from those who have joined us at the heart of the EU! Today, we take a look back at the EUVP visit of Mr Liam Ziqi Jia from China, who participated in the virtual EUVP programme in July 2022.
Mr Jia is a talented professional who for the past seven years has been advising European businesses on market access to China and related business strategies. He currently works as Team Lead at the EU SME Centre, a European Union funded initiative with the aim of assisting SMEs to establish, develop and maintain commercial activities on the Chinese market. The project supports European SMEs that desire to enter or expand their operations in China. Specifically, the project provides general business and legal support services, including information about market opportunities and market conditions in China and networking opportunities with relevant potential partners. Mr Jia is also an experienced speaker and author of publications on a range of topics including the environment sector and SME digitalisation.
When asked about his motivation behind applying for the EUVP programme, Mr Jia mentioned that he was interested in gaining a further understanding of the inner workings of the EU Institutions and bodies and in engaging in discussions and dialogues on the various relevant topics related to EU-China relations, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses in Europe, industrial policy dialogues, and on the EU-China summit. Due to the current post-pandemic travel restrictions, the EUVP decided to invite Mr Jia to an introductory online programme that would provide him with a solid informational background before his in-person visit. The in-person trip to Brussels is soon to follow!
Mr Jia reported that through an intense week of virtual meetings, he had an opportunity to learn about the EU framework, its institutions, and the EU perspective on a multitude of topic, and: “More importantly, I had the pleasure to interact with some of the most relevant people that work on the EU-China relations on environment, development cooperation, trade and investment, industrial policies and others, from whom I benefited the most”. During his programme which consisted of nine tailor-made meetings, Mr Jia had an opportunity to talk with representatives of various European Commission’s Directorates-General, as well as with members of the administration of the European Parliament and the European External Action Service. During his meetings, he discussed about the EU-China digital transition, industrial and regulatory relations, the EU’s engagement with China in research and innovation, EU-China environmental cooperation, as well as the implementation of the Green Deal and many others.
When asked about his main take-aways from his virtual visit, Mr Jia said: “Shared values and wide consensus are never easy to achieve: the process can be frustrating, it takes more than just time; however, once achieved, it can be extremely strong and powerful. Under the concurrent complicated global geo-political background, and the ever-developing EU-China relations, the EU makes its efforts to keep redefining its roles and adapt to new circumstances”.
We would like to sincerely thank all the interlocutors, the EU Delegation in China and Mr Jia for their professionalism, kind cooperation and making this productive virtual visit possible. We would also like to welcome Mr Jia to our ever-growing group of EUVP Alumni, looking forward to further cooperation on the dedicated EUVP Alumni platform and to his in-person visit to the heart of the European Union!