Chongqing- German Chancellor Scholz arrived in Chongqing on April 14th, kicking off a three-day official visit to China. This marks Scholz's second visit to China since taking office as German Chancellor in December 2021 and a Western leader's first visit to China this year. It's worth noting that Scholz's first stop on this trip was Chongqing. His first visit there was to Bosch Hydrogen Power Systems (Chongqing) Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Germany's Bosch Group and Qingling Motors Group.

Against this backdrop, Sally Huang, General Manager of the Southwest Chapter of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, gave an interview to Bridging News reporters. She shared her observations and thoughts on Scholz's visit to Chongqing, focusing on economic and trade cooperation between Chongqing and the EU.

Germany seeks broader cooperation opportunities in Western China

"As the economic center of southwestern China, Chongqing is an important partner for German companies in China. Many significant German enterprises have investments in Chongqing, including prominent members such as Bosch, Bayer, and Siemens", said Sally Huang.

She believes that Scholz's visit to Chongqing indicates Germany's desire to seek broader cooperation opportunities in western China, affirming and supporting the region's economic development. As an industrial hub in western China, Chongqing shares similarities with Germany's positioning. It serves as the starting point for the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway and the starting point of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region. With several national-level logistics centers, it offers significant potential market opportunities. In areas such as infrastructure, agricultural security, environmental protection, and digitalization, there are still many areas where Sino-German cooperation can be explored.

A positive promotion to encourage foreign investment in Chongqing

During his visit, Scholz conducted on-site inspections in various industries, environmental protection, and cultural aspects, experiencing firsthand Chongqing's development and business environment. This undoubtedly serves as excellent publicity for Chongqing and signals its commitment to deepen reform and open up further, welcoming foreign investment and fostering a conducive business environment. The visit will strengthen communication between both sides regarding economy, trade, and investment, providing more opportunities for EU enterprises to cooperate in Chongqing and the southwestern region. 

Sally Huang remarked, "I believe that via this in-depth visit to Chongqing, the Chancellor has recognized that the once economically underdeveloped central and western region has now become a new engine of economic growth."

Scholz's visit to Chongqing strengthens political mutual trust

German Chancellor Scholz was accompanied by three cabinet ministers in charge of environment, agriculture, and transportation, as well as heavyweight entrepreneurs from our member companies, such as Siemens, BASF, and BMW. According to Sally Huang, Scholz's visit to Chongqing will provide foreign enterprises with a more stable and predictable policy environment for their regional investments and operations. As the economic hub of southwestern China, Chongqing boasts abundant market and human resources. EU enterprises can leverage partnerships with local companies to jointly explore the market, creating mutually beneficial opportunities and expanding their presence in southwestern China. The visit strengthens political mutual trust and lays a solid foundation for the long-term development of enterprises.