A seminar on industrial chain cooperation between Qingdao and German enterprises was held in Beijing on Sept 5.

A seminar on industrial chain cooperation between Qingdao and German enterprises is held on Sept 5 in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Focusing on the vitalization and development of Qingdao's real economy, the event was designed to build a platform for the matchmakings and exchanges between enterprises from Germany and Qingdao. It is designed to help Qingdao attract more high-quality projects in the fields of transportation manufacturing, infrastructure, medicine and health, and environmental protection from Germany.

Government officials, local enterprise representatives, as well as nearly 30 members of the German Chamber of Commerce in China participated in the event.

In his address, Jens Hildebrandt, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China - North China, pointed out that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Germany.

Jens Hildebrandt, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China - North China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Over the past 50 years, China-Germany relations have maintained a high level of cooperation. Bilateral trade has grown from less than $300 million when the two countries established diplomatic ties to nearly $250 billion now. China has been Germany's largest trading partner for six consecutive years.

He said that Qingdao has a solid foundation for cooperation with Germany in economics, trade and culture. He hopes that the two sides will expand cooperation in new areas in the future.

"We sincerely hope to take this event as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation with German enterprises in the fields of smart home appliances, new energy vehicles, biomedicine and medical devices, energy conservation and environmental protection," said Liu Jianjun, vice-mayor of Qingdao.