A recent Shenzhen Special Zone Daily piece profiled three European entrepreneurs—from Spain, Germany and Italy—who set up trading and advisory companies in Shenzhen between 2024 and 2025. None of them are in "cheap sourcing" only. They build two-way bridges: helping Chinese SMEs export to Europe, and helping European firms land suppliers, JVs or R&D partners in Shenzhen.

Their names and angles:

• Rita Gimenez (Spain)​ – 50th Century Business Services: international strategy for governments, enterprises and cultural institutions; routes Chinese SMEs into Latin America and Southern Europe.

• Tobias Frieser (Germany)​ – L&B International (欧华创合): former VW and Gotion High-Tech plant builder; now matches German engineering buyers with Shenzhen battery / energy-storage / robotics makers.

• Mario Pavone (Italy)​ – 华欧非商贸: design-led market entry, JV structuring, and inbound investment for foreign brands into China.

Why Shenzhen, not Shanghai

All three say Shanghai already has a saturated international-consulting scene. Shenzhen in 2023–2025 still had under-told supply-chain depth: P6 LED tiles in Dongguan, safety-footwear tooling in Bao'an, battery packs in Longgang, robot arms in Nanshan. Foreign founders can still walk into a factory the same afternoon they land.

Tobias put it plainly: "Too many new ideas are born in this city. In a Shenzhen café people discuss the next decade, not last quarter's margins."

Where APEC 2026 fits

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting lands in Shenzhen 18–19 November 2026, with the CEO Summit mid-month. Tobias explicitly told the newspaper he is timing his Shenzhen office launch to precede APEC, so he can host European delegations during the global spotlight week.

APEC brings the delegates. Your purchase order pays the freight.

— Shenzhen Deou Cross-border Technology Co., Ltd.