When bias against China becomes Europe's economic burden, who pays the price?
Jun Jiang's essay as a 21-minute film, with footage from the October 2026 delegation and a source for every figure.
Insights
China does not need
explaining more often.
It needs explaining better.
Analysis, experiences and business cases on economic, technological, cultural and social developments in China. Based on personal experience, business insight and verifiable sources. Not to make China look better or worse than it is, but to understand it better.
Sections
- 1Market opportunity
- 2Technological build-up
- 3Scale and chain integration
- 4Lower cost, stable quality
- 5Influence on market structure
How China takes over an industry, explained through caviar
Five steps: market opportunity, technological build-up, scale and chain integration, cost reduction with stable quality, and finally influence over the structure of the market itself.
It happened to solar: from about €5 per watt in 2000 to under €0.15 in 2024. To batteries: from $1,200 per kWh in 2010 to around $100 in 2024. To electric cars. And, improbably, to caviar, where a Caspian monopoly became a Chinese market share of over fifty percent.
Read the full piece→China Business Mission 2026
Cities and companies
of the mission
For every city and company of the October 2026 mission, China Connect made a film and a presentation. They are all here, with the full slides.
- Shanghai Diamond Exchange 上海钻石交易所
- Xiaohongshu (RED) 小红书
- Dewu (POIZON) 得物
- Model Space 模速空间
- π Space, Jing’an 视听静界·π空间
- Hema (Freshippo) 盒马
- Unitree Robotics 宇树科技
- Geely Auto 吉利汽车
- Alibaba Group 阿里巴巴
- Jack Ma Foundation 马云公益基金会
- BrainCo 强脑科技
- Rokid 灵伴科技
- iFlytek 科大讯飞
- NIO 蔚来
- JAC Motors 江淮汽车
- Sungrow Power Supply 阳光电源
- USTC Silicon Valley 科大硅谷
- BOE Technology 京东方
Reading for the mission · five book reviews
- The Next China Is Still China Joe Ngai en Nick Leung (McKinsey)
- Breakneck Dan Wang
- China’s Next Miracle Pascal Coppens
- The New China Playbook Keyu Jin
- Terug naar China Tom Van de Weghe
All insights
出人头地 · One Chinese Expression a Day
Standing out here does not mean rising above others, but above the line where you yourself started. A film based on Jun's post, in English and Dutch.
Going Global: Chinese companies in Europe
The presentation by Edge and China Connect for Chinese companies heading to Europe: what European buyers expect and how to get found.
China Business Mission 2026: a week in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hefei
Why these three cities, what the delegation's objectives were, which sectors and companies were on the programme and what participants took home.
The Forbidden City
Nine by nine nails on every gate, one axis through the whole city. A five-minute film and a 25-slide presentation on the heart of Beijing.
Beijing, the capital
Economic strength, Zhongguancun, AI and space, the Belgian connection from Verbiest to the railways, Peking duck and the Forbidden City. Ten-minute film and 29-slide presentation.
Lenovo LCFC in Hefei: the factory where the lights may go out
LCFC (联宝) is officially not a 'dark factory' but a WEF Lighthouse. Fully automated lines run there, and yet 12,000 to 19,000 people work in production.
Tongqinglou (同庆楼): from birth to birthday
A listed restaurant group from Hefei (605108.SH). Founder Shen Jishui, once a radiologist, bought the brand name in 2004 for ¥273,000.
USTC Silicon Valley
科大硅谷 · Innovation · Hefei
Innovation zone around the USTC university: how Hefei turns a university into a startup factory.
BOE Technology
京东方 · Displays · Hefei
Display technology from Hefei: the world’s largest screen maker, from TV panels to OLED.
Hefei, the city that dares
The Hefei model: a city that invested in its own industry, from EVs to displays and quantum. Ten-minute film and 29-slide presentation.
iFlytek
科大讯飞 · Speech and AI · Hefei
Speech technology and AI, from student lab to machines that listen and speak.
NIO
蔚来 · Electric cars · Hefei
Premium electric cars with battery swapping, rescued by the city of Hefei.
Sungrow Power Supply
阳光电源 · Energy · Hefei
Inverters and energy storage, a global player in solar power.
Alibaba Group
阿里巴巴 · E-commerce and cloud · Hangzhou
Visit to the headquarters of China's e-commerce and cloud giant.
Jack Ma Foundation
马云公益基金会 · Philanthropy and education · Hangzhou
Meeting and conversation with the foundation of Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
BrainCo
强脑科技 · Neurotech · Hangzhou
Brain-computer interfaces and smart prostheses, one of the 'Six Little Dragons'.
Hangzhou, paradise by the lake
Hangzhou's entrepreneurial model, AI and robots, tea, silk and West Lake. Ten-minute film and 29-slide presentation.
Unitree Robotics
宇树科技 · Robotics · Hangzhou
Quadruped and humanoid robots, from student project to China's best-known robot maker.
Xiaohongshu (RED)
小红书 · Social commerce · Shanghai
Where Chinese consumers discover, review and buy products.
Dewu (POIZON)
得物 · E-commerce · Shanghai
Marketplace for sneakers, streetwear and luxury, where every product is verified first.
Model Space
模速空间 · AI ecosystem · Shanghai
Shanghai's incubator in Xuhui for companies building large AI models.
π Space, Jing’an
视听静界·π空间 · Audiovisual · Shanghai
Showcase of Jing'an's cluster for ultra-HD, XR and audiovisual technology.
Hema (Freshippo)
盒马 · New retail · Shanghai
Alibaba's supermarket where store, app and fast delivery come together.
Shanghai, the city on the sea
From fishing village to world city, the Belgian connection, the economic leap, where the city is betting, its people, food and where to get lost. Ten-minute film and 34-slide presentation.
Shanghai Diamond Exchange
上海钻石交易所 · Diamond trade · Shanghai
China's only state-approved diamond exchange: a bridge to Antwerp.
The Next China Is Still China
Joe Ngai en Nick Leung (McKinsey) · Scribner, 2026
What China's new phase means for entrepreneurs: not an end point, but a reset.
Breakneck
Dan Wang · W. W. Norton, 2025
China as an engineering state: what it builds, what it costs people and what Europe can learn.
China’s Next Miracle
Pascal Coppens · Pelckmans, 2025
How China is reversing the way innovation works, and what that means for the sectors that carry Europe.
The New China Playbook
Keyu Jin · Viking, 2023
How the Chinese economy really works, with mayors as the engine.
Terug naar China
Tom Van de Weghe · Borgerhoff & Lamberigts, 2025
The story behind the Chinese century: control, power and the new world order.
误解 · Three misunderstandings about China
Three things Europeans think they know about China, and what they see on the ground. The first video in the One Chinese Character a Day series.
The €292 billion question
The EU's trade deficit with China reached €292 billion in 2024, on more than €800 billion of bilateral trade. The gap between production and consumption is the core issue.
Chinese packaging machinery: the state of the industry
China exported 25.34 million packaging machines in 2024, up 31.8 percent year on year, worth $4.62 billion.
Ten mistakes European importers keep making
One percent defective in the factory becomes five percent after the sea voyage. And forgetting Chinese New Year buys you four to six weeks of silence.
Premiumisation: where Chinese consumer growth really is
Chinese pet food grows from $12.7 billion in 2025 to $20.75 billion by 2031. Premium grew 18 to 22 percent in a single year; online is 59 percent of sales.
Video: Etion Discovery Trip March 2026
The official aftermovie of the Etion mission with 23 entrepreneurs to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen: Xiaomi, WeRide, Xpeng, BYD, DJI, CATL, Huawei and the Nanshan drone show.
By Jun Jiang
How Belgians fill in the Digital Arrival Card before travelling to China
What the Digital Arrival Card is, when and how to fill it in, and what to watch out for to avoid problems at the border.
By Tom Cuylaerts
Beijing, China's political centre
The beating heart of China: the capital's history, culture, politics, economy and innovation, from the Forbidden City to DeepSeek.
By Jana Bryo
With an eSIM from an international provider, do you still need a separate VPN in China?
Whether you need a separate VPN on top of your international eSIM to get past the Great Firewall and use WhatsApp or Google.
By Tom Cuylaerts
eSIM, a safer choice for mobile data in China
Why an eSIM is the smartest choice for mobile data in China: installation, providers, risks and staying connected without hassle.
By Tom Cuylaerts
WeChat, indispensable during your visit to China
What WeChat is, how to install it, what to use it for and which risks to know about during your trip to China.
By Tom Cuylaerts
When do you need a VPN when visiting China?
Why a VPN is essential for your trip to China: how to prepare, which services are blocked and which VPN works behind the Great Firewall.
By Tom Cuylaerts
Chips, there is more than nanometres
Western countries like a step-by-step approach in technology. China changes lanes to overtake (弯道超车) and mass-produces AI chips on mature 28 and 110 nanometre processes.
By Jun Jiang
China Discovery Trip September 2024, part 1
Seeing is believing: a Belgian CEO delegation led by Prof. Rudy Aernoudt discovers a China very different from its media image. With photo report.
By Xander
China Discovery Trip September 2024, part 2
After Shanghai and Hangzhou the delegation continued to Chengdu and Beijing, with matchmaking through UNIDO ITPO Beijing and company visits. With photo report.
By Xander
China Business Mission in the spotlights
Two articles, in Made In and FD Magazine, on the business mission to China led by Prof. Rudy Aernoudt.
By Xander
The value of attending trade fairs
Investing in trade fairs drives growth through visibility, networking and industry insight. Costs, return and how to get the most out of it.
By Xander
Navigating the complexities of doing business in China
How strong relationships and adapting to cultural differences lead to business success in a market of 1.4 billion consumers.
By Xander
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An analysis every week
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Thirty minutes.
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just a straight answer.
Tell us what you want to do in or with China. You will hear straight away whether it is realistic, what it takes and whether we are the right partner. If we are not, we will say so.
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jun@chinaconnect.be