Bringing Europe and China Together

Europe and China share a long history, not always happy, sometimes confrontational. But trade between the two cultures dates back more than two thousand years, with the trade along the ancient Silk Road linking Europe and China starting around 200BCE.

In those early days, businessmen had to navigate the different languages, cultures, and ways of doing business, as well as make a long and perilous journey, beset with bandits, pirates and corrupt government officials. And for investors funding those early trade trips, the huge potential rewards were matched by high risks.

Fast forward to present day - have we learnt much, and has much changed in the last 2,200+ years? The bandits now wear suits, the journey is quicker and (depending on the airline) more comfortable, and the pirates have been replaced with pirated goods.

There is still a huge gap in business culture, and misunderstandings on both sides. Politicians make noise, and the finance sector in Europe generally still seems negative on China, with remarkably little cross border funding considering the massive size of the European financial sector, and that China is the second largest economy in the world. China accounts for only around 3% of overall European investments abroad.

But businessmen as before lead the way. Europe is China's largest trading partner (bigger than the US) and biggest source of imports, and China is Europe's second largest trading partner (after the US) and largest source of imports. China and Europe trade over €1 billion a day

So our new fund is backing businessmen, in China and Europe, providing funding and a platform for Chinese businessmen to access Europe, and European businessmen to access China. The new Silk Road project, supported by China and European governments, as well as the restructuring of China's economy, provides a wealth of opportunities -  we hope to make the journey a little easier.

For information, email [email protected]