From January to September this year, Taicang, a county-level city of Suzhou, introduced 29 new German-funded projects. Reinvestment of profits by German companies surged by 97.9 percent year-on-year, underscoring Taicang's strong appeal to German enterprises and the confidence these companies have in the city's development prospects.

Taicang currently has representative offices in seven major cities in Germany, deploying investment promotion commissioners directly to Germany to attract investment. 

Furthermore, the city is working to integrate foreign investment into its local industries and innovation chains. Taicang encourages foreign enterprises to expand their presence in China through initiatives such as establishing new R&D centers and reinvesting profits.

Taicang has been pioneering dual-system vocational education in China since 2001. This program has successfully trained over 10,000 senior management and professional technical talents, meeting the demands of German companies for highly-skilled talent. This initiative has not only strengthened local manufacturing in Taicang but also enhanced its investment appeal.

Students do a dual-system vocational education internship at a factory. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_5d51cb296177]

With over 1,600 foreign-invested enterprises currently based in Taicang, including more than 500 German-funded enterprises, the city has emerged as a key hub for manufacturing industries and is known as the "hometown of German enterprises".