hub.brussels will soon be present at the China International Fair for Trade in Services 2022
International Business News – China International Fair for Trade in Services will be held in the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing from September 1st to 5th, 2022. hub.brussels will take this opportunity to show the public how Brussels is moving towards sustainable entrepreneurship, and how Brussels can be the gateway to Europe for business. Welcome to visit our booth at E2-13!
What are the similarities and differences between this year’s exhibition and the previous ones?
This year we will continue to highlight Brussels’ efforts in promoting the development of sustainable enterpreneurship. The European Union has launched the European Green Deal, with the ambition to be climate neutral by 2050. As Brussels is hosting the headquarters of the European Union, the Brussels-Capital Region strongly supports the development and innovation of companies in clean energy, energy monitoring and storage, greening, CO2 capture and circular economy, providing more than 47 million euros in innovation support to relevant companies. It is worth noting that 40% of the region’s clean energy technology companies were founded in the last three years, which is a vast blue ocean worthy of long-term development. For example, Electra, a start-up company created in 2021 that operates fast charging stations, opened an office in Brussels. to deploy charging stations across Europe. Electra has already opened 50 charging points and it plans to build a total of 300 by the end of this year.
The difference is that to better demonstrate the great value and potential of bilateral trade and investment, we also invited four companies to participate in the CIFTIS 2022, including Cebiz, Dewit Law Office, Euroclear and Xiaomi. The fields involved include consulting and law, finance, and the digital industry. Xiaomi Group has opened a branch in Brussels in 2020, which is mainly responsible for sales, marketing and retail. In a previous interview, the representative of Xiaomi Group said: “The geographical location, high-quality international talent pool, connection with partners and radiation ability to surrounding consumer markets are the reasons why we chose Brussels. In addition, Brussels is a diversified international center with a thriving tourism and business sector, all of which fit perfectly with our brand attributes. ”
Belgium has the highest subsidies for R&D and innovation in the world (Comparative R&D and Innovation Tax Support 2017). The intellectual property rights acquired by enterprises through R&D, including patents, licenses and software, etc., can enjoy 85% tax-free treatment for the net income created, and the effective tax rate is as low as 3.75%; what’s more, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region will also reduce the R&D payroll tax, with the highest reduction rate of 80%, which will reduce the salary cost by 15%-20%.
Brussels has a competitive commercial property rental market, with prices well below other European capital cities and common destinations for Chinese companies going abroad to Europe, such as London’s West End, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Geneva. In terms of global city cost of living rankings, Brussels is ranked 78th, well below cities such as Shanghai (7), Shenzhen (13), Guangzhou (20), Paris (50) and London (19).
According to the World Bank’s report Doing Business 2020, Belgium is one of the easiest countries in which to start a business, with no minimum capital requirements to set up a new company. The Belgian government treats both domestic and foreign companies equally with national treatment. In terms of financing conditions, foreign companies also enjoy the same treatment as local enterprises.
Brussels is also known as the capital of Europe, as it hosts a total of 38 European Union bodies and organizations among which the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. Not only that, 120 international organizations such as the World Customs Organization (WCO) and some professional institutions have located their headquarters in Brussels. Brussels hosts 1.500 international associations or representations, and it has a huge international press community of no less than 1.500 foreign journalists. Due to its importance for European and international decision-making, Brussels ranks first worldwide as city for embassies and consulates.
The full range of personalized investment services is also unique to Brussels. Before landing in Brussels, foreign investors are offered a three-month welcome package without the need to register their business and have free access to office space at the Brussels Foreign Investors Hub, including meeting rooms, lounges and various office equipment such as the Internet, telephone, fax, printer, etc. The free services offered by the Brussels Foreign Investors Hub also include tax and legal advice, guidance on company registration, consultation on official or other financial aid and preferential policies, guidance on public sector docking, advice on office location and recruiting staff.