From December 20th to 21st, the 2021 “International Forum on China-Europe SME/Family Business”——Sino-Austrian Hidden Champion Enterprise Development Seminar co-sponsored by the Sino-foreign Family Business Research Center, BIT, and the China Family Business Review was held in Beijing. Through online and offline, two round table discussions, two management practice sharing and the release of a Hidden Champion research results were conducted. The main venue is located in the Finance Laboratory of the School of Economics and Management, BIT. Experts and scholars from China, Austria, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Cyprus participated in the Seminar. China’s specialized and new “little giant” enterprises and European Hidden Champion enterprises shared practical experiences. A total of more than 30 participants delivered speeches and comments on successful cases.

Qin Zhihui, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of BIT, Lei Fengyun, Counselor of Science and Technology of the Chinese Embassy in Austria, and Zhang Xiaohui, Director of China Center for Promotion of SME Development, attended the Seminar and made special speeches. Prof. Pei Rong, the Director of the Sino-foreign Family Business Research Center, BIT, shared the relevant results of the research work of Sino-Austrian (China-Europe) Hidden Champion.

Qin Zhihui said that COVID-19 has put pressure on the global industrial chain, and also accelerated the evolution of the global industrial chain, spawning new industries, new business formats, and new models, and promoted innovative changes in the production structure and business models of SMEs, which forced the enterprises to make actively transformation. At present, how Chinese and European SMEs can overcome the impact of the epidemic, seize the opportunity of a new round of industrial transformation, and achieve new development and breakthrough in the face of difficulties, which require in-depth discussions from the academic and practical levels.

2021 coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria. The “Hidden Champion” is also a major feature of Austria’s economic and technological development. The Forum released the “Sino-Austrian Hidden Champion Survey Report”, which is also a 2021 China Association for Science and Technology “Belt and Road” International Technology Organization Cooperation Platform Construction Project. Lei Fengyun said in his special speech on “learning from the experience of ‘Hidden Champion’ and consolidating the foundation of ‘specialized and new’” that many Hidden Champions have become a beautiful landscape of Austria’s economic development, attracting more and more attention. Under the new situation, analysis, research and reference on the development history and successful experience of the Hidden Champions in Europe, including Austria, will be very beneficial to the development of our “specialized and new” enterprises. At the same time, to strengthen friendly exchanges and cooperation between China’s “specialized and new” business community and scientific research personnel with the Hidden Champion business community and research community in Europe and Austria is also in line with the “Belt and Road” concept of consultation, joint construction and sharing.

Dr. Stefan Kahl, Business Manager of TRIBOTECC, shared online the management practices of the “Hidden Champions” of Austrian SMEs/family business, and Dr. Yang Li, Director of WIFI made wonderful comments accordingly. Besides, Zhang Yiyan and Ke Xiao, the secretaries of the Science, Education and Culture Department of the Chinese Embassy in Austria, were invited to attend the Seminar online.

The Forum is committed to promoting mutual exchanges and reference between Chinese and European enterprises, so as to promote exchanges and cooperation, mutual learning and common development between Chinese and European SMEs/family business.