On October 16, during an interview with the media, Christian Scharpf, the Mayor of Ingolstadt in Bavaria, emphasized that “trade wars or actual conflicts have never been a good solution for global citizens; cooperation is the better choice.” Discussing the escalating geopolitical tensions, he highlighted the significance of strong German-Chinese collaboration for global economic stability and expressed a desire for both nations to continue down the path of cooperation.
The occasion was the 10th Bavarian China Day held in Munich, where Scharpf, along with Georg Rosenfeld, the Director of the Ingolstadt Economic Development Agency, shared their optimistic views on the future of German-Chinese relations.
Scharpf detailed Ingolstadt’s strong foundation in industries such as automotive, machinery manufacturing, and information and communication technology. He noted that Germany and China have already established substantial cooperation in these areas. For instance, he mentioned that the Volkswagen Group formed a joint venture with China back in the 1980s, and today, both parties are engaged in extensive collaboration on new technology development, which has proven beneficial for them both.
He believes there is further potential for deepened collaboration between Germany and China, especially in global issues like climate protection, sustainable development, and education. Promoting exchanges between students from both countries would help foster a better understanding of each other’s cultures.
Georg Rosenfeld, during his interview, mentioned that a family-owned machinery and equipment manufacturing company from Changchun, China, has recently set up operations in Ingolstadt. He pointed out that the cooperation between innovative family businesses from both countries is progressing smoothly. “In our globalized economy, we need to work together to ensure the sustainability of this collaboration,” he stated.
Lin Kai, the Deputy Consul General of China in Munich, remarked on the deep-rooted and long-standing friendship between China and Bavaria, labeling Bavaria as a pioneer in promoting local partnerships between Germany and China. Under the leadership of both parties’ leaders, he noted that economic cooperation between the two regions has yielded fruitful outcomes. For several consecutive years, China has been Bavaria’s most important trading partner, with trade volumes exceeding one-tenth of Bavaria’s total foreign trade.
According to Lin, there are over 2,000 companies in Bavaria maintaining trade relations with China, with over 100 Bavarian businesses establishing production lines in China and more than 600 setting up subsidiaries or trade offices there. Data from the Bavarian Investment Promotion Agency indicates that Chinese companies rank among the top three foreign enterprises investing in Bavaria, with around 500 Chinese companies now operating in the region.
