CHINA 

Wuxi Cultural Industry Promotion and Exchange Conference Held in Brussels 

Wuxi-Brussels Cultural Industry Bidirectional Hub Collaborative Innovation Center Unveiled

On June 10 2025, the Wuxi (Brussels) Cultural Industry Promotion and Exchange Conference was held in Brussels. The event attracted representatives from over 50 organisations, including the China Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg (CCCBL), the European Travel Commission, the European Commission and the European Parliament, diplomatic representations and international media outlets including "Diplomatic World" and "EU Today". Representatives from Belgium's Dechamps Group, NMSG BV, and other companies discussed cooperation opportunities on site

 At the conference, Wuxi city promoted to the participating guests the integrated ecosystem of Taihu culture, its century-old industrial and commercial heritage, and the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. As well as the surging vitality of Wuxi's cultural industry. Like Brussels, Wuxi, located at the geometric centre of the Yangtze River Delta, the most economically dynamic region in China, is also a "central city" with excellent accessibility. It is an ancient and modern "romantic sweet city," having been consecutively rated as one of the most liveable cities in mainland China for many years. It is also a charming "city of music," and even more so, a vibrant "city of opportunities". In 2024, its regional GDP reached EUR 202.7 billion, ranking 14th among large and medium-sized cities in mainland China, with a per capita GDP of EUR 26,000, ranking among the top in the country. It is a valuable land for investment and innovation, worthy of trust, choice, and deep cultivation by investors from various countries.

In recent years, cooperation between Wuxi and Belgium has deepened continuously, making progress in integrated circuits, high-end cultural manufacturing, and cultural exchange. At the event, cooperative projects between the two regions also saw significant advancements: Yixing Foreign Cultural Exchange Association and the EU-China People to People Association launched a biennial art exhibition plan; Wuxi High-tech Zone and Belgian 8AM Group (Dechamps Company) announced a joint cross-border e-commerce digital marketing platform; and Liangxi District Grand Canal National Cultural Park reached an agreement with Belgian NMSG BV for joint development of Jiangnan cultural IPs. The China Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg (CCCBL), Wuxi Foreign Cultural Exchange Association, and EU-China People to People Association jointly signed an innovation hub co-construction project.

At the conference, the "Wuxi-Brussels Cultural Industry Bidirectional Hub Collaborative Innovation Center" was unveiled. The establishment of this centre marks a new institutionalised stage for China-Europe cultural cooperation, with four crossborder cooperation agreements simultaneously signed on site, covering cultural and art exhibitions, digital commerce, cultural IP development, and innovative platform co-construction.

Gao Wei, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium, pointed out that Wuxi, as a cultural hub of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, will see this cooperation build new bridges for China-Europe communication and cooperation. Bernard Dewit, Chairman of the Belgium-China Economic and Commercial Council, emphasised: "The combination of Belgian creative design and Chinese industrialisation capabilities is expected to foster cultural products with global influence.