Good evening.

The ancient Chinese saying goes, “Distance cannot separate those who share the same vision.” The Chinese Consulate General has traveled specially to Herford to meet face‑to‑face with Chinese and German business leaders. This gathering is a perfect example of this timeless wisdom. It is my great pleasure to join you at this China‑Germany Business Summit to connect, exchange ideas, and explore cooperation.

On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Düsseldorf, I wish to extend warm congratulations on the successful opening of this summit. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the Herford District Administration, the DCG Herford Association, the Chinese Enterprises Association in North Rhine‑Westphalia, and all entrepreneurs here for your long‑term commitment to deepening subnational cooperation and economic and trade ties between China and Germany.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Entrepreneurs are the driving force of the global economy. You create jobs, improve people’s lives, boost social welfare, and fuel prosperity across borders. Thanks to your hard work, innovation and dedication, technologies become products, partnerships deliver results, and local economies thrive. This is also the solid foundation of China‑Germany economic cooperation. I want to take this opportunity to pay high tribute to every Chinese and German entrepreneur committed to the real economy and innovation.

Since I assumed office in July last year, this is my first visit to the OWL Region. I have been truly impressed. This morning, accompanied by representatives of several Chinese companies, I visited Hettich. We experienced the strong innovative spirit and competitiveness of OWL‑based enterprises, and held in‑depth, practical talks on expanding our cooperation. The people and businesses here are down‑to‑earth, warm, open and welcoming — I am deeply touched. Tomorrow I will continue my visits to local enterprises, looking forward to discovering more cooperation opportunities, learning from your best practices, and making this trip truly productive.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

China’s Two Sessions concluded not long ago, with the adoption of the 15th Five‑Year Plan. It sets out a clear roadmap for China’s development in the next five years. This is not only a new blueprint for Chinese‑style modernization, but also an invitation to the world to share in China’s opportunities. For business leaders like you, this means a more open market and more practical pathways for cooperation.

First, China is committed to advancing institutional opening‑up and building a world‑class, market‑oriented, law‑based and international business environment. All foreign investment restrictions in manufacturing have been removed. Opening‑up in services such as telecommunications, the internet, education and healthcare is steadily expanding. In 2025, China’s total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 50 trillion RMB, with a middle‑income population of over 400 million and growing. China’s huge consumer market, complete industrial chains and upgrading demand offer an even broader stage for Made in Germany.

Second, China places innovation at the heart of high‑quality development. Innovation is the lifeblood of business success — and one of the most promising areas for China‑Germany collaboration. The OWL Region enjoys unique strengths in home furnishing manufacturing, mechanical engineering and automation. Many of your companies are already deeply integrated into the Chinese market. We hope to combine Germany’s advanced technology and strong R&D with China’s vast application scenarios and complete industrial support system, creating powerful synergy between German Technology and Chinese Application. Together, we can promote the integration of digital technology + industry and green technology + industrial applications, so that innovation takes root and flourishes through China‑Germany cooperation.

Third, China is firmly committed to ecological progress and green growth, creating growing demand for energy‑saving solutions, green materials and smart manufacturing. Germany has outstanding expertise in low‑carbon technologies and green standards, which matches perfectly with China’s green development goals. We encourage enterprises from both sides to turn shared green commitments into real cooperation, leverage our respective strengths, and explore the huge new market brought by the global green transition.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Despite the complex and challenging global landscape, China‑Germany relations remain on a steady track. During Chancellor Merz’s recent visit to China, both parties had in‑depth, constructive talks. We successfully restarted the China‑Germany Intergovernmental Consultations, and Germany reaffirmed its firm commitment to the one‑China principle. This has laid the most important political foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries. President Xi Jinping has proposed that China and Germany should be reliable partners supporting each other, innovative partners for openness and mutual benefit, and people‑to‑people partners for mutual understanding and friendship. This strategic vision provides clear guidance for our bilateral cooperation.

We firmly believe that the steady growth of China‑Germany relations depends not only on state‑to‑state exchanges, but even more on cooperation between enterprises and at the subnational level. The Herford administration and enterprises in the OWL Region have long maintained an open and forward‑looking attitude toward cooperation with China. Many of you have achieved remarkable results in the Chinese market. China highly values these efforts.

Guided by the vision of the three partnerships, and taking the restart of the Intergovernmental Consultations and the implementation of China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan as important opportunities, China stands ready to work with the Herford authorities and business community to uphold trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and deepen practical cooperation in more fields.

China values the OWL Region as an important partner for subnational cooperation, and we strongly support people‑to‑people and cultural exchanges between us. We warmly welcome officials and business leaders from Herford and the OWL Region to visit China more often, taking full advantage of China’s visa exemption policy for German citizens to see China’s development and experience our friendship firsthand. The Consulate General is ready to provide every support for your visits. For enterprises facing practical challenges or specific difficulties in economic and trade cooperation, please do not hesitate to contact the Consulate General. We will listen carefully, coordinate actively and do our utmost to help. We will always be your reliable partner. We will also continue to serve as a bridge, supporting more Chinese companies to seek cooperation and develop business here, so that China and Germany can achieve win‑win results through mutual efforts.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar. The horse stands for courage, perseverance, vitality and loyal partnership. A galloping horse symbolizes strong momentum and promising prospects.

In this new year, let us build consensus with openness, deepen cooperation with action, seize opportunities in a changing world, and create a shared future together. Let us write a new chapter of win‑win cooperation between China and Germany — especially between China and the OWL Region. I wish you all health, success and prosperity in the Year of the Horse!

Finally, I wish this China‑Germany Business Summit a complete success! 

Thank you.