A ceremony celebrating the 400th German-invested company is held in Taicang, Jiangsu province on Oct 28. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

The Ahwion Intelligent Technology (Taicang) obtained its business certificate in Taicang, Jiangsu province on Oct 28. It marked the establishment of the 400th Germany-invested company in the county-level city.

The company will receive €30 million ($35 million) from AHWION Holding GmbH to focus on the manufacturing and research of automobile parts.

In 1993, Kern-Liebers, a supplier for Volkswagen, became the first German company to set up shop in the city. It took 28 years for the city to attract its first 400 German companies.

File photo: Opening ceremony of Kern-Liebers (Taicang) is held in Taicang in November, 1993. [Photo/WeChat account: tcfbgw]

The city has also extended cooperation with Germany to include areas such as culture and sports. Activities such as beer festivals, football games, and marathons for Germans in Taicang have gained popularity in recent years.

Taicang has also established partnerships with Jülich and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region in Germany. More than 3,000 Germans now live in the city year-round.

German companies, in particular, are ubiquitous in the area－so large is their number, as well as the number of their nationals, that there are German restaurants, celebrations of German festivals and German schools.