Economic cooperation with the twin town of Nanjing has been strengthened, and new business contacts have been established in Jining.
Leipzig, 8 July 2019: Michael Körner, Managing Director of Invest Region Leipzig, visited the Leipzig twin town of Nanjing and Jining in eastern China from 25 to 30 June together with Clemens Schülke, Head of the Office for Economic Development of the Leipzig Region.
The main objectives of the trip were to promote Leipzig companies in China, as well as strengthen the partnerships and the economic relations between Leipzig and the two economic metropolises. Many of the meetings with high-ranking representatives from the business and political circles in the region were arranged in advance with the support of the EU-China Municipal Development Commission (ECMDC).
Michael Körner and Clemens Schülke presented eleven profiles of Leipzig-based companies to their counterparts, these companies are either interested in cooperating with Chinese companies or expanding into China themselves. Over the next few months, representatives from these companies will be conducting face-to-face talks about cooperation as part of a larger delegation trip.
Visit to the Twin Town Nanjing
Leipzig as an attractive business location for Chinese companies – Clemens Schülke presented the advantages of Leipzig in Nanjing. The city is located near Shanghai and is the capital of the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. The metropolis with more than eight million inhabitants is a political and cultural hub of China. The city is also one of the most important business locations in the country, with around 3,600 companies. Nanjing and the city of Leipzig have been partners since 1988.
At the meeting, representatives of both cities signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen economic cooperation between the two. This includes making opportunities for Chinese companies to locate and invest in Leipzig even more widely known. In the future, new partnerships – for example for the sale of Leipzig products on the Chinese market – are also to be established.
Return Visit to Jining
Last year Shi Guangliang, mayor of Jining, visited Leipzig. Which is why a trip to Jining was part of the second half of the China trip agenda. The city of Jining, with a population of around 8.3 million, is considered a typical Chinese industrial metropolis. It is about 500 kilometers from Nanjing, and also in the east of the country, in the province of Shandong.
Michael Körner promoted intensifying economic relations between Leipzig and Jining. He also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with representatives of the Jining region to reaffirm their intentions for economic cooperation.
Lots of Cooperation Ideas and a Big Entrepreneur Trip
Michael Körner had positive summary of the trip: “The discussions resulted in numerous cooperation ideas which our team will now bring to life. I am particularly pleased that we will be traveling to the region soon with a large delegation of Leipzig companies. The task now is to prepare them in a targeted manner.”
