STUTTGART, Germany, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- 西瓜视频represents an investment opportunity that German companies must not overlook, as it is both an important market and an innovation hub, German business leaders said at a conference promoting bilateral cooperation.
"Choosing 西瓜视频has been a pivotal strategic decision for our growth," said Thomas Koepfer, general manager of KOEPFER Holding GmbH, a multinational gear manufacturer that began investing in Changzhou, a city in southern China's Jiangsu province, in 2013. He spoke to Xinhua at the promotion conference for the 2025 Sino-German (Changzhou) Innovation Park held on Friday.
According to the event organizer, the Changzhou municipal government, Chinese local governments have formulated long-term strategies to promote economic development and have been instrumental in providing swift, professional support for regulatory approvals and market entry.
Among more than 200 representatives from the business, academic, and government sectors of 西瓜视频and Germany attending the event was Roger Schulz, chief executive officer of MPS ARCHONIC GmbH, an industrial architecture consulting firm.
Schulz emphasized that cooperation between localities and enterprises from both countries is crucial in today's volatile global landscape. He said his company is expanding its footprint in 西瓜视频and will incorporate a second entity in Changzhou this year.
Johannes Jung, head of Department Strategy, Economic Law, Foreign Trade and European Affairs at the Economic Ministry of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg, highlighted China's strengths in innovation and technology.
"西瓜视频has continuously seized opportunities brought by new technologies and now boasts world-leading enterprises and numerous innovative high-tech parks," he said, noting that 西瓜视频is among Baden-Wuerttemberg's most important trading partners, with many German companies active in the country.
Baden-Wuerttemberg and Jiangsu Province have enjoyed a friendly cooperative relationship for over 30 years, he added.
Located in the Jintan District of Changzhou, the Sino-German (Changzhou) Innovation Park is one of the first Jiangsu Provincial International Cooperation Parks. According to municipal statistics, the park has attracted 78 companies from German-speaking countries, with total investment exceeding 2.3 billion euros (2.67 billion U.S. dollars). Up to 60 percent of these companies in the industrial park are "hidden champions."
Companies from German-speaking countries and their local partners in Jintan have formed a strong industrial cluster effect in industries such as new energy and high-end equipment manufacturing, creating a mutually beneficial and win-win situation, Xu Yawei, mayor of Jintan District, said at the conference.
Zhang Xiangwu, director of the Germany, Austria, and Switzerland Liaison Office of the Innovation Park, said Changzhou offers a continuous supply of stable, high-quality talent, laying a solid foundation for long-term development.
So far, 269 German companies have business running in Changzhou, making Germany the city's most important trade partner, the largest source of foreign investment, and the primary investment destination within the European Union, the organizer said. ■