Chinese companies continue to focus on North Rhine-Westphalia and Düsseldorf
Representatives of Chinese companies and institutions from Düsseldorf and the surrounding region took up the invitation of the state capital Düsseldorf and the state-owned economic development agency NRW.INVEST to attend the traditional New Year's reception for the Chinese business community at the Hotel InterContinental in Düsseldorf. Mayor Thomas Geisel, Economics and Digital Minister Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart and the Chinese Consul General Haiyang Feng welcomed some 350 guests from business, politics, administration and culture.
Mayor Thomas Geisel: "2017 was a dynamic and successful year for Düsseldorf as a China location. The Chinese companies at the location are developing positively and are strongly integrated into the business networks. More and more innovative Chinese companies are also coming to Düsseldorf because here they find a unique network of startups, SMEs and large companies."
Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs and Digitization, said: "North Rhine-Westphalia offers optimum location conditions for the Chinese business community. Last year's approx. 120 new investment projects demonstrate the significance of our state for Chinese companies. 2018 will be marked by the topics of digitization and electric mobility, which will play an increasingly important role in German-Chinese cooperation."
Haiyang Feng, Chinese Consul General: "The Chinese community values the traditional New Year reception for the Chinese economy very highly. Reality has proven and will continue to prove that China and North Rhine-Westphalia as well as Düsseldorf are important and reliable partners for each other who see in their respective development great opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. The exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have a solid basis, excellent conditions and broad prospects."
Review of 2017
The World Table Tennis Championship once again drew China's attention to Düsseldorf, where the Chinese athletes once again dominated the world championship titles. The China Festival in September had a record attendance, and the number of Chinese companies at the location continued to grow. Düsseldorf and NRW were once again the most important target regions for Chinese investment projects in Europe last year. In the meantime, more than 1,150 companies from Greater China have settled in North Rhine-Westphalia. 520 Chinese companies are currently based in Düsseldorf.
In 2017 there were around 120 investment projects of Chinese companies in North Rhine-Westphalia, mainly managed and acquired by NRW.INVEST. The China Competence Center for Düsseldorf recorded 70 new settlements.
Among them was TCL, the largest manufacturer and exporter of LCD televisions in China, which opened its German office with 10 employees in May 2017. Also in May, the Chinese plant manufacturer ShaanGu Europa Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH opened its European headquarters with 15 employees in Düsseldorf. Dahua, a provider of video surveillance systems, opened its German headquarters in April.
The China Competence Center Düsseldorf and the state-owned economic development agency NRW.INVEST cooperate in many projects to strengthen the business location and attract Chinese companies. In the future, further joint activities are planned as part of the location campaign "Germany at its best: Nordrhein-Westfalen".
Outlook for 2018
Contacts with Chinese companies will be intensified and the network expanded with a series of joint events in Düsseldorf and China. The next China Festival will take place on 15 September in Düsseldorf, for the first time as a joint event with the cities of Cologne and Duisburg. The China Festival has developed such an appeal in North Rhine-Westphalia that it will be held alternately in Cologne, Duisburg and Düsseldorf in the future. On 14 September, NRW. INVEST and the state capital Düsseldorf will hold the Business and Investors Forum China, attended by around 500 representatives of Chinese and German companies and institutions.