European business and industry leaders have underscored the vital importance of investing and collaborating in the Chinese market during the recent China-Germany (China-Europe) Hidden Champions Forum 2025 held in Beijing.
“Hidden Champions” are highly successful yet lesser-known small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that dominate the global market in their specific niches. Of the 2,734 such firms worldwide, the vast majority are based in Europe, with Germany alone home to over 1,300.
Following the forum’s debut in China last year, this year’s event attracted over 600 representatives from China and abroad, including business executives, government officials, and industry leaders. Walter Döring, chairman of the Senate of Economy Europe and chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Summit of World Market Leaders (the Hidden Champion Summit), led a delegation of over 150 companies this year—up from 60 in the previous year. “I think this shows everything,” he remarked.
Many companies emphasized that China, as the world’s second-largest economy and a vast consumer market, is simply too significant to overlook. For those already operating in China, confidence in future growth remains strong. Carlos Riveros, managing director at M-Tech GmbH, noted that China accounts for around 20 percent of their global market share after 15 years of doing business locally, and the potential for further growth is promising.
German pump manufacturer Wilo Group also announced plans to double its China-based research and development workforce by 2025. According to the German Chamber of Commerce in China, 51 percent of German companies plan to increase their investment in China over the next two years, with 87 percent citing the need to maintain competitiveness.
The forum coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union. Jivka Ovtcharova, an expert for the European Commission, called for deeper China-Europe collaboration in engineering and technology, highlighting the mutual benefits such partnerships can bring.
