Chinese companies focus on quality and innovation in Düsseldorf and NRW
Düsseldorf, 17 January 2017. To celebrate the traditional New Year's reception for the Chinese business community, 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 come to the CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf. Mayor Thomas Geisel, Minister of Economic Affairs Garrelt Duin and Chinese Consul General Haiyang Feng welcomed around 300 guests from business, politics, administration and culture.
Mayor Thomas Geisel: "Düsseldorf is one of the most dynamic locations for Chinese companies in Germany. A further 70 Chinese companies settled in Düsseldorf in 2016. Even more significant than the impressive number of new settlements is the quality and the generally good development of Chinese companies in Düsseldorf. There are numerous positive examples here of how innovations in cooperation with Düsseldorf-based companies, particularly in the field of digitization, are being advanced."
Economics Minister Garrelt Duin: "More than 1,000 Chinese companies have recognized the location advantages of North Rhine-Westphalia and settled here. Their number and quality of the investment projects are growing steadily. In 2016, 94 companies from the People's Republic of China opted for NRW because of the good settlement conditions. This means that our state remains the No. 1 investment location for Chinese companies in Europe."
Haiyang Feng, Chinese Consul General: "The new settlement record of Chinese companies is due on the one hand to the great attractiveness of Düsseldorf and NRW, which have so much to offer culturally and economically, and the people here are consistently and sincerely open-minded and welcoming. On the other hand, companies profit from the fact that relations between China and NRW and Düsseldorf have intensified considerably in recent years as a result of our joint efforts. At this point I would like to draw attention to the work done by the Düsseldorf Office of Economic Development and NRW.INVEST, which we appreciate very much indeed."
Düsseldorf and NRW were once again the most important target region for Chinese investment projects in Europe last year. In the meantime, more than 1,000 companies have settled in North Rhine-Westphalia, including 480 in the state capital.
The office of economic development of the state capital and the state-owned economic development agency NRW.INVEST cooperate on many projects to strengthen the business location and to attract Chinese companies – most recently in an economic trip to Guangzhou last November. During an investor seminar NRW.INVEST and the state capital Düsseldorf presented the location advantages of North Rhine-Westphalia and Düsseldorf in the digital economy to the approximately 200 participants. In the future, further joint activities are planned as part of the "Germany at its best: Nordrhein-Westfalen" location marketing campaign.