China News Service, Beijing, November 4th (Zhang Naiyue) On November 4th, German Chancellor Scholz started his first visit to China since taking office.

A picture combed by foreign media shows that there are also 12 German corporate giants with Scholz, including BMW, Volkswagen, BASF, Adidas, Deutsche Bank... The outside world described that Scholz's trip was "to bring Germany together." Bringing the biggest brands to China".

Data map: German Chancellor Scholz.

Who is the "luxury lineup" accompanying the visit?

　　In fact, about 100 people applied to accompany Scholz to visit China, but in the end the business delegation consisted of 12 executives from German companies, spanning manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, food and other industries.

BASF Group:

　　BASF is the world's leading chemical giant with hundreds of companies in more than 40 countries around the world.

In September of this year, the first unit of BASF's integrated base in Zhanjiang, Guangdong was officially put into operation, which can produce 60,000 tons of engineering plastics per year, which will be widely used in the automotive and electronics industries.

　　According to German media, BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller knows the Chinese business world very well.

He said not long ago that the visit to China is a "good signal" that the company's business relationship with China is very important, and called for not "bashing China", "should examine ourselves more, examine our shortcomings and weaknesses, and how to address them."

Merck Group:

　　Merck Group is involved in the three major fields of medicine and health, life science and electronic technology, and regards China as an "important strategic market".

Merck has been operating in China for nearly 90 years. In April this year, it announced that it would invest about 100 million euros to accelerate the manufacture of biopharmaceutical disposable technology products in Wuxi.

Siemens AG:

　　This time, Siemens President Roland Busch also visited China together with Scholz, which was his first visit to China as the Group CEO.

Siemens still hopes to further expand its business in China amid the voices of "reducing economic dependence on China" in European political circles.

　　Industry sources revealed that Roland Busch plans to set up a special project called "Marco Polo" to move thousands of jobs to China as a whole, and plans to double the sales of "digital industry" business in China by 2025 compared to 2020 .

Volkswagen:

　　Volkswagen is no stranger to the Chinese. For Volkswagen, about 40% of its annual profits come from China.

Accompanying Scholz on his visit to China was Volkswagen President Oliver Bloom. He once said that in the past few decades, Volkswagen has been very successful in China. "In the future, we will also maintain a strong position in China. Invest in innovation.”

　　In October, the Volkswagen Group announced plans to join forces with Chinese companies to establish joint ventures in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving, with an estimated investment of up to 2 billion euros.

The group said that due to the epidemic, direct bilateral exchanges have been affected. Today, when geopolitics and the global economic situation have completely changed, "visiting China provides an opportunity for personal exchanges of opinions".

　　In addition to the above-mentioned "big names" in the business world, Scholz's visit to China included Deutsche Bank, a biotech company that plans to expand into the Chinese market, BioNtech, a well-known raw material supplier, and one of the world's largest companies in the fields of medicine, healthcare and agriculture. A Bayer Group, Adidas, as well as heating technology company GeoClimaDesign and baby food maker Xibao.

'Direct dialogue becomes more important'

　　The last time China received the German Chancellor's visit was in September 2019. Scholz led a delegation to visit China this time. It has been three years since his predecessor Angela Merkel visited China.

In the past three years, the world and regional situations have undergone profound changes.

The competition factor between China and Europe is quietly increasing, and some politicians are constantly clamoring to reduce the so-called "dependence on China".

　　However, the luxurious line-up of the delegation shows that the German business community attaches great importance to China.

Bloomberg described Scholz's trip as "bringing Germany's biggest brands to China."

Data map: Port of Hamburg, Germany.

　　So, why did this visit get so much support?

　　On the one hand, it is because China and Germany really have economic and trade ties that are difficult to give up and can be mutually beneficial. Many companies are eager to come to China and achieve greater development here.

　　According to media analysis, German companies have been deeply involved in China for many years, and their industrial layout is more "In China, for China--in China, for China".

China has a complete industrial chain and a labor market with high-quality skills and diligence, which is not available in other markets in a short period of time.

　　At the same time, according to data released by the German Federal Statistical Office, since 2015, China has been Germany's largest importer of products.

In 2021, the bilateral trade volume between the two countries will increase significantly to 235.1 billion US dollars, and China has become Germany's most important trading partner for the sixth consecutive year.

　　Moreover, more than 1 million jobs in Germany are directly dependent on export trade to China.

According to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research, nearly half of Germany's manufacturing companies rely on China's key inputs.

　　In the first half of this year alone, German investment in China has reached a record 10 billion euros.

For Germany, China's importance has steadily increased, and it is an economic and trade partner that Germany cannot ignore.

　　In recent years, some European politicians have advocated the existence of so-called "geopolitical risks" and "decoupling" from China, but this kind of hype that "politicizes" the economy will hardly have a foothold.

　　Wansleben, chairman of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, pointed out that German companies are inseparable from the Chinese market and raw materials. Without China, the German economy will be more difficult and "Germany will become poorer".

On November 4, 2022, German Chancellor Scholz paid an official visit to China.

　　On the other hand, it is because after experiencing profound changes in the world structure, China and Germany still have extensive common interests and there is a need for cooperation in many fields. "Direct dialogue" is naturally the best way to exchange views. Way.

　　A study by the German think tank Bertelsmann Foundation pointed out that China is one of the most important markets for German economic circles, and China is also a key partner for German political circles.

　　In addition to China's export market, German industry also relies on China to provide raw materials and technologies that are crucial to the transition to a carbon-neutral economy, according to the German Institute for Economic Research. "From solar modules to electric vehicle batteries, China is crucial."

　　Before his visit to China, Scholz wrote in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that "direct dialogue is now more important".

He said that in the past three years, the world has undergone profound changes due to the new crown epidemic and the situation in Ukraine, with serious consequences for the international order, energy and food supply, global economy and prices.

Germany does not want and cannot decouple from China.

Germany wants to cooperate with China in areas such as climate change, global health issues and food security.

　　Wansleben believes that China issues at least involve security, climate, population, globalization and other aspects, and the world urgently needs China. "Without China, we will never be able to truly solve these problems."

　　Regarding Scholz's visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that China looks forward to the success of Prime Minister Scholz's first visit to China during his tenure.

China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The exchanges and cooperation over the past half century have fully proved that the two countries have more consensus than differences, and cooperation far outweighs competition.

To develop China-Germany relations well will not only benefit the two countries, but also benefit China, Europe and the world.

The Chinese side is willing to continue to uphold the main tone of pragmatic cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results, work with the German side to promote the further development of bilateral relations, and contribute more to world peace and stability.