China Correspondent · London

Chen Liwei

Covers: Chinese companies in Europe

Liwei writes about Chinese manufacturers, platforms and consumer brands expanding into Europe, and the regulation that shapes how they arrive. Raised in Shanghai and educated in Edinburgh, she has reported on cross-border commerce for business publications in both Hong Kong and London. She pays particular attention to EV, clean energy and ecommerce supply chains.

Latest from Chen

A shopper tests body lotion on a forearm beside plain pump bottles at a beauty shop in London.

Market Intelligence & Trends

European prestige body care sales rise 11% to €523m

Circana figures reported by Cosmetics Business show European prestige body care gaining ground as brands bring facial skincare ingredients into body treatments.

05 Nov

Gloved hands applying a tinted hair gloss treatment to wet hair over a basin in a UK home bathroom.

Retail & Consumer Brand Expansion

Henkel targets UK’s £19m hair gloss market with Schwarzkopf Live

Henkel is backing temporary hair colour in the UK and Ireland, aiming to turn low-commitment experimentation into demand across its wider colourant range.

02 Nov

Anonymous shipyard workers beside an unfinished steel hull at a defence shipbuilding yard in Glasgow.

Trade, Regulation & Policy

UK plans matching investment rule for foreign defence suppliers

Foreign suppliers winning UK defence contracts worth more than £50m would have to match their value with British investment under rules starting in April 2027.

01 Nov

An e-commerce worker reviews a laptop beside unbranded household items at a desk in Brussels.

Trade, Regulation & Policy

EU accepts Temu’s DSA action plan after €200m fine

Temu’s plan to address EU risk assessment failures has been accepted, but regulators want closer scrutiny of gaps and an independent audit of implementation.

27 Oct

Finance staff checking invoices and documents beside laptops in a Copenhagen office.

Expansion Funding

Plinto raises €2.9m for first expansion beyond Denmark

Copenhagen’s Plinto will use its pre-seed funding to develop AI financial controls, win enterprise customers and enter its first market outside Denmark.

20 Oct

An anonymous technician inspects an interceptor drone on a workbench in a Ukrainian aircraft assembly workshop.

B2B Commercial Expansion

Germany funds Quantum Systems interceptor production in Ukraine

German financing will support several tens of thousands of interceptor drones as Quantum Systems expands Ukrainian manufacturing, Tech.eu reports.

05 Oct

An anonymous supermarket worker restocks loose vegetables in a fresh-produce aisle in Slovakia.

Retail & Consumer Brand Expansion

Lidl owner reportedly readies Czech and Slovak Tesco bid

Schwarz Group is reportedly preparing an offer as Tesco pursues a Central European sale covering a division with £4.5bn in annual revenue.

27 Sept

Legal representatives carrying folders outside a court building in Luxembourg, where digital regulation is contested.

Trade, Regulation & Policy

US seeks to back X in challenge to €120m EU fine

Washington wants to intervene in X’s appeal against an EU digital rules penalty, bringing regulatory jurisdiction into focus for US technology businesses.

26 Sept

Anonymous business advisers and founders discuss international expansion around an office table in Oxfordshire, UK.

Market Intelligence & Trends

Bridgehead Insights sets out five tests for global expansion

Bridgehead Insights identifies five readiness tests for international growth, focusing on commercial evidence and operational strength rather than ambition alone.

22 Sept

Dockside cranes, unmarked containers and workers at a commercial port in Metro Manila, Philippines.

Government Initiatives & Incentives

UK and Philippines agree trade plan as £5bn UKEF capacity awaits

A new UK-Philippines work programme targets export access and energy cooperation, with a financing framework due to open a route to UKEF infrastructure support.

22 Sept