"Sorry, our supervisor is currently not at the booth. He is busy visiting different companies' exhibition stands to seek potential cooperation opportunities," a staffer from a Portuguese law firm told the Global Times on Thursday at the ongoing 4th China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing.

According to the staffer, since the beginning of the expo on Monday, her supervisor has been actively moving between various exhibition areas, engaging in discussions with exhibitors, and the company has reached multiple cooperation deals.

The Portuguese company's participation serves as just one vivid example of EU enterprises actively engaging with the Chinese market at the CISCE. This year, exhibitors from various European countries, including Italy, Portugal, France, Germany and Poland, are participating in the five-day event, demonstrating their firm commitment to China's supply chains and strong confidence in long-term cooperation with the Chinese market.

"I believe the expo is very valuable. Many exhibitors are large corporations that bring their own supply chain partners, which is quite interesting. For small and medium-sized enterprises like ours, connecting with these big companies is important, as they can open doors to new markets and opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to access," Fabrizio Galluzzi, CEO of TB Engineering, an Italian consulting and trading company and a first-time CISCE participant, told the Global Times.

Galluzzi is also the vice president of Confindustria Genova, an association of companies of the Liguria Region in Italy. According to the Xinhua News Agency, as one of the guest regions of honor at the expo, the Liguria Region delegation consists of representatives from the regional government, multiple business associations, and 20 leading enterprises, spanning multiple fields, including logistics and shipping, port management, international trade, and digital technology.

The Polish Investment and Trade Agency also brought seven local enterprises to the expo, covering cross-border logistics, port operations, and air freight, according to the official WeChat account of the CISCE.

A representative from SkyTaxi, a Poland-based cargo airline specializing in charter flights, told the Global Times that the main purpose of the firm's participation in the expo is to find new customers and partners interested in global shipping services.

"So many different companies here! We have so far made unexpected connections with many Chinese enterprises, which exceeded our expectations. The expo has provided excellent opportunities to expand into the Chinese market," the representative said.

When discussing the cooperation potential between China and Poland, the representative highlighted the green sector, noting that with increasing global pressure to reduce carbon emissions, green logistics and sustainable aviation transport hold significant potential for future collaboration.

Bernardo Mendia, secretary-general of the Portugal-China Chamber of Commerce & Industry, also expressed greater interest in the expo during an exclusive interview with the Global Times.

"This is our second participation. Last year, we came with a delegation of six companies and institutions, and this year, we have ten," Mendia said, noting that the primary objective of their participation is to help Portuguese companies build direct contacts with Chinese partners, whether for investment, sourcing, sales, or other forms of collaboration.

"The expo is important for us because we believe that the personal contact is still the most powerful form of communication, even though we have artificial intelligence and everything can be done technologically, but personal contact is fundamental," Mendia noted.

Regarding cooperation in the green sector, particularly electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels, Mendia said that China possesses advanced technology, enormous production scale, and the capacity to supply the global market — advantages that should be viewed as a "common good" rather than a point of contention.

Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that for European enterprises, the expo provides a more convenient and efficient opportunity to understand the Chinese market, serving as an excellent platform for promoting market connectivity and commodity exchange. It can also further enhance mutual trust between the two markets, he said.

During this year's expo, multiple renowned European companies also showcased their presence in various exhibition halls, including the digital intelligence technology, advanced manufacturing, healthy life, and others. These include Airbus, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Bosch, SAP, Louis Dreyfus, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk, among others.

"Although the EU has introduced various restrictive measures against China, these European enterprises are demonstrating through their concrete actions that some EU politicians' pursuit of so-called 'de-risking' runs counter to market forces. This is because Chinese and European enterprises are mutually dependent and deeply integrated with each other, representing a mutually beneficial and win-win relationship," Jian noted.

"There is a need on both sides [China and Europe] to truly understand each other's perspectives with mutual respect. I believe the best approach is to sit at the table and engage in dialogue. Dialogue is key to understanding each other's needs, while clearly identifying respective boundaries. That being said, there is significant potential for cooperation. By examining sector by sector, we can identify many areas where we can work together," a European exhibitor who requested anonymity told the Global Times.