On the afternoon of February 20, local time, a delegation from Guangzhou arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, for a series of investment promotion activities. Cooperation agreements in areas such as intelligent connected vehicles, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, cultural tourism, and finance were signed at the event.
Over a hundred guests from the Chinese and German governments and business community attended the event, including the Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt, Huang Yiyang, and the President of the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ulrich Caspar. Government and institutional heads from various entities such as the Hesse State Department of Economic Affairs and the Hesse State Trade and Investment Promotion Bureau, as well as representatives from well-known companies like Merck, Fresenius, Continental AG, Schaeffler Group, Fraport, Messe Frankfurt, and Deutsche Leasing, were present.
In his speech, Caspar highlighted that Frankfurt had been identified as the best entry point to the Chinese market for Germany and Europe, and the recent visa exemption policy for Germans introduced by China at the end of last yearis a positive signal. According to the policy, holders of ordinary passports in Germany can enter China without a visa for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, and transiting if the stay is no more than 15 days. Caspar introduced the advantageous industries in Frankfurt and the surrounding areas, expressing a warm welcome to deepen cooperation with Chinese companies and achieve mutual benefits.
Hong Qian, director of the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said Guangzhou is vigorously developing the automotive industry, particularly in electric vehicles, biopharmaceuticals, green energy, low-carbon, infrastructure, refining, and chemical projects. Guangzhou has three national-level development zones, four national-level bonded zones, and other investment project landing platforms, with Nansha boasting a first-class international business environment. German companies are welcomed to invest in Guangzhou and share development opportunities.
Guangzhou has been maintaining close cooperation with Germany. Since 1988, Guangzhou has established friendly relations with several German cities, including Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Heidelberg, leading to numerous mutual investments.
Cooperation between Guangzhou and Germany in automotive, biopharmaceuticals, electrical engineering, software information, and logistics has yielded fruitful results. It has attracted top German multinational companies such as ZF Friedrichshafen, Siemens, Bosch, and Knorr to settle in Guangzhou. In 2023, the total import and export value between Guangzhou and Germany reached 42.802 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.1%. Currently, there are 229 joint ventures between Guangzhou and Germany.