Torsten Schäfer-Gümbel, vice chairman of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) and president of Hessen state, led a delegation to Taicang city, Jiangsu province, on July 11 to enhance bilateral cooperation, Taicang Daily reported.

Shen Mi, Party secretary of Taicang, gave a brief introduction of the city's major achievements over the past 23 years of Sino-German cooperation. He said that there are currently 250 German companies which have invested or are doing business in Taicang, including 17 from Hessen.

Shen said that the city has set up eight carriers and platforms for Sino-German cooperation including the newly opened German Center in June. He said that German dual-system vocational education has proved practical in Taicang, marking a new highlight in the development of bilateral relations.

Shen said that there is a solid foundation and huge potential to strengthen the economic partnership between Taicang and Hessen, and that the two sides should work together to create a new model for higher level Sino-German cooperation.

Schäfer-Gümbel said that the delegation was deeply impressed by the city's prosperity. He believed that Germany's small and medium sized enterprises can grow here as they have access to high-growth emerging markets in China.

The delegation also visited a training center, which is jointly organized by AHK Greater China and Chien-Shiung Institute of Technology, AKG Thermal Systems (Taicang) Co and the Taicang German Center.