Luxembourg has long maintained that "de-risking must not become a synonym for fragmentation", said Gilles Roth, the country's minister of finance, stressing that when tensions rise, dialogue becomes more necessary, not less.

Roth made the remarks on March 24, 2026, at the "2026 New Quality Productive Forces & Cross-Border Finance Forum" in Luxembourg. The forum was co-hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) and Bank of China (Europe), and co-organized by the Shanghai headquarters of the China Economic Information Service (CEIS).

Under the theme "Beyond Borders, Shared Opportunities", the event brought together more than 100 representatives from political, business, and academic circles in China and Europe to engage in discussions on China's high-quality economic development, the cultivation of new quality productive forces, RMB internationalization, and cross-border financial cooperation.

Roth noted that amid profound transformations in geopolitics, technology, security, and supply chains, finance is no longer merely a supporting sector but has evolved into a strategic capability and asset. On RMB internationalization, he emphasized that the growth of international currencies depends on confidence, adding that Luxembourg can play a unique role in trade, finance, investment, and market infrastructure. He said the country will promote financial cooperation in a pragmatic manner, ensuring that innovation strengthens rather than undermines trust, and called on all parties to turn shared opportunities into tangible, lasting outcomes.

The keynote session was moderated by Fang Dongkui, Secretary General of CCCEU. In his opening remarks, Fang highlighted that despite mounting pressures on global economic growth, China-EU economic and trade cooperation has demonstrated strong resilience. He noted that the forum aims to serve as a high-level platform for dialogue, fostering consensus and deepening cooperation in the fields of new quality productive forces and cross-border finance.

Hua Ning, Chinese ambassador to Luxembourg, expressed his pleasure at attending the forum, noting that "as the Spring Equinox arrives, all things come back to life." He elaborated on China's strategic vision for developing new quality productive forces in light of the recently approved 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30). He pointed out that the plan places scientific and technological innovation in a more central and prominent position in national strategy, aiming to promote deeper integration between technological and industrial innovation, as well as between advanced manufacturing and modern services, so that the vitality of science and technology can fully flourish within a broad market landscape.

Suo Peng, minister of the Chinese Mission to the EU, said in his address that bilateral trade reached $828.1 billion in 2025, marking a 5.4 percent increase, while China's direct investment in the EU grew by nearly 40 percent year-on-year. The total stock of two-way investment has now exceeded $280 billion. "These figures speak volumes about the resilience and vitality of our economic partnership," he said. He also expressed hope that the EU would move beyond what he described as the "small attic" of protectionism, refrain from introducing further restrictive trade measures, and provide Chinese companies with a fair, transparent and predictable business environment.

Liu Jiandong, chairman of CCCEU and chairman of Bank of China (Europe), said in his keynote speech that new quality productive forces represent innovation-driven advanced productivity. "They are characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, and are driven by green and digital transformation," he said. Liu added that China-EU economic and trade cooperation rests on a solid foundation, with broad shared interests in areas such as green transition, the digital economy, and technological innovation, offering vast potential for future collaboration.

Liang Linlin, director of Communication and Research at CCCEU, presented an in-depth interpretation of the chamber's report released at the forum, titled "Weathering Challenges, Sharing Success: CCCEU Report on the Development of Chinese Enterprises in the EU 2025/2026". The report provides a comprehensive overview of the current development, challenges, and future expectations of Chinese enterprises operating in Europe.

According to the report, Chinese companies in Europe place a high premium on policy stability and the predictability of the business environment, and hope to further unlock cooperation potential through greater institutional openness and alignment of rules.

zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn