On 10 November 2016, the China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (CHINALUX) in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Luxembourg held the launch of their event series on China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. Entitled “Luxembourg is on its Way”, the launch featured speeches introducing OBOR, as well as a panel discussion to explore the potential opportunities for Luxembourg under the initiative.

Opening speeches were delivered by Mr. Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Honorable Huang Changqing, Chinese Ambassador to Luxembourg, followed by an introduction to the initiative by Professor Jean-Pierre Lehmann, IMD. In his talk, “OBOR: The New Silk Road to the 21st Century”, the Professor presented his “cautious optimistic” case for OBOR, outlining its historical context, development, risks and potential, as well as expressing his view that we should be seeking to engage with this inclusive initiative – a rarity in the current trade climate.

Together with the Professor, three experts from the Luxembourg logistics, ICT and finance sectors joined a panel discussion. The panelists – Mr. Daniel Liebermann, Director Logistics, Ministry of the Economy, Mr. Jean-Paul Hengen, Manager, Luxembourg ICT Cluster, Mr. Sascha Bremer, Market Intelligence Adviser, Luxembourg for Finance – presented their experiences in their sectors, as well as their views on the potential involvement of Luxembourg in the initiative. The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Dirk Dewitte, CHINALUX President.

The questions for the panel ranged from whether, and how, the Luxembourg government should support efforts to engage with the initiative and the current level of awareness in Luxembourg of the initiative, to a frank debate on whether or not it is a “win-win” situation. A common thread throughout these discussions was that there are many links in place for Luxembourg to benefit, however, the expectations and the potential opportunities require further identification and assessment.

Throughout the panel discussion, the Professor’s “cautious optimistic” case was well appreciated by the panelists and attendees alike, as was his assertion that we should be seeking to engage in this inclusive initiative. In his words, let’s for once make a success of an initiative in the 21st century.

Furthermore, let’s ensure Luxembourg continues on its way by identifying the expectations and opportunities for Luxembourg under the initiative, in particular those relevant to the logistics, ICT and finance sectors.

Full Event Series: Throughout the course of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) event series, CHINALUX and the Chamber of Commerce will endeavor to introduce and explore the opportunities for Luxembourg under the OBOR initiative, with events to follow the launch highlighting opportunities and experiences in the Luxembourg logistics, ICT and finance sectors. To hear about the upcoming events, please sign-up to the CHINALUX mailing list (http://china-lux.lu/enewsletter), and watch the CHINALUX and Chamber of Commerce events announcements for more details.

Click here to view article in Lëtzebuerger Journal (11.11.2016)