CEIBS Forum Looks at Investment Opportunities from Belt & Road Initiative - Seite 2

He also acknowledged sceptics' concerns about the "no-strings financing" that the BRI will provide, as China – unlike western offers of aid – adheres to an approach of not interfering in investor countries' affairs on issues such as "human rights, clean governance or fiscal restraint". He assured the audience that the BRI, as a facilitator of global trade, would bring opportunities for both developing and advanced economies; see all parties benefitting from lower transit costs and standardised services; unlock key markets in Southeast, South & Central Asia, Central & Eastern Europe and Africa; as well as boost the flow of trade, capital and goods.

The BRI, he added, would bring both tangible properties (physical projects such as rail and highway, etc.) and intangible assets such as an interconnected banking system (through the Silk Road Investment Fund, SINO-CEE Fund, the AIIB and similar institutions), trained workers and standardised services.  He also expressed confidence that business interests in BRI participating countries were savvy enough to protect their own interests. "Don't underestimate the patriotism and intelligence of business leaders in countries such as Pakistan and Africa, etc. They are much more international than Chinese executives, more globally aware. They will protect their own interests," said Prof. Ding.

Within the wider context of the BRI, today's half-day event also provided insight into how German and Chinese companies are working together, by looking at past examples such as Chinese conglomerate Fosun's acquisition of Frankfurt-based private bank Hauck & Aufhäuser in 2015; Fujian-headquartered Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited that expanded into the German market; and Germany's KDX Europe Composites that set up an R&D centre in China by partnering with a Chinese tech company.

There was also a look at the potential synergies between China's Internet Plus policy – aimed at integrating the internet with traditional businesses to fuel economic growth – and Germany's Industry 4.0 future for the vision of manufacturing. This included case studies on NextEV (China's answer to Tesla) and Alipay, the China-born third-party mobile and online payment platform with global ambitions.

Today's event in Munich is the third in this year's series of CEIBS 3^rd Europe Forum. The next event will be in Warsaw on September 15. The CEIBS 3^rd Europe Forum 2017 is part of CEIBS' efforts to provide the political, business and academic communities in China and Europe with an opportunity to offer insights into crucial international issues.

About CEIBS
China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only b-school to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times' top 30 list of MBA, EMBA and Executive Education programmes. CEIBS' world-class faculty – from both China and abroad – are experts in their fields. CEIBS, which has provided management education to over 130,000 executives both at home and abroad, has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Zurich and Accra along with a teaching centre in Shenzhen.