On 4 June 2025, the EU SME Centre organised the final conference for the project’s Phase IV, which ran from July 2022 to June 2025. Participants gathered onsite at the European Union Delegation in Beijing, at the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU in Brussels and online to review the Project’s activities and impacts over the past three years.

European Union, 2025

The speakers highlighted the importance of providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with tailored assistance to achieve their full potential in international markets, especially when it comes to navigating the complexities of the Chinese market. They noted that initiatives for European SMEs in the Chinese market such as the EU SME Centre and the China IP SME Helpdesk were testament to the EU’s proactive approach. Both projects are financed by the European Union and cooperate closely with Chinese and European partners. 

The speakers emphasised the cooperation of EU-based and China-based consortium partners as an essential component of the reach and impacts achieved by the EU SME Centre, helping stakeholders to foster connections and networks with on-the-ground expertise.

European Union, 2025

The EU SME Centre team presented the activities conducted in Phase IV to further develop the full range of services provided by the Centre, including the Knowledge Centre, the Training Centre, the Advocacy Platform, and the outreach efforts to all stakeholders in EU Member States, in countries participating in the Competitiveness of SMEs’ strand of the Single Market Programme, as well as to SMEs already active in the Chinese market.

The session closed with a preview of the mission and objectives of the upcoming Phase V, which will further support European SMEs in the Chinese market from July 2025 to June 2028.