QINGDAO, China, April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Qingdao-Germany Economic, Trade, Cultural and Tourism Exchange Meeting kicked off in Stuttgart, Germany on April 25, hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People's Government, and organized by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark. This event was attended by over 160 representatives from German companies and institutions, partners and delegates from Qingdao. Zhao Haozhi, mayor of Qingdao, delivered a keynote speech, while Li Hucheng, secretary-general of the Qingdao Municipal People's Government, chaired the meeting. This event received great support from German business associations such as Südwestmetall, BWA, China Netzwerk Baden-Württemberg , RegioTriRhena, IHK Region Stuttgart, Entrepreneurs Association Baden-Württemberg, and Internationale Deutsch-Chinesische Assoziation, making it one of the largest economic and trade events organized by Chinese local government in Germany in recent years, according to the Information Office of Qingdao Municipal People's Government.

"Qingdao is one of the Chinese cities with the closest ties to Germany in terms of bilateral exchanges and cooperation. German-funded companies have achieved significant development in Qingdao, attracting over 400 German enterprises to invest in the city. Additionally, Qingdao has established friendly city relationships with several German cities such as Mannheim and Regensburg. We expect further exchanges between Germany and Qingdao to strengthen collaborations in industries like automotive, chemicals, manufacturing, energy, as well as in the cultural and tourism sectors," said Mayor Zhao Haozhi in his speech.

During the meeting, Elmar Stumpf, chairman of CNBW-Region Baden-Württemberg, and Michael Schumann, chairman of BWA, delivered speeches. Dr. Martin Sommer, general manager of Elringklinger Group, shared the company's investment situation in Qingdao. Wang Zhijun, director of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce, introduced the investment environment in Qingdao and the key fields of cooperation between Qingdao and Germany. Pan Feng, director of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, promoted Qingdao's cultural and tourism hotspots.

This event attracted widespread attention from the local German community, with representatives from many well-known German companies such as Bosch, Daimler, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Recaro, as well as governments and institutions including the City Government of Stuttgart, the City Government of Oldenburg, and the Stuttgart Football Club participating in the event.