A 23-member delegation consisting of executives from five leading German companies and representatives from 10 universities recently visited Taicang, with the theme “Sino-German Innovation Dialogue and Industry-Academia-Research Integration: Exploring Cooperation Opportunities in Future Industry and Higher Education".

The group included corporate executives, engineers, researchers, students, and young scholars, with 90 percent visiting China and Taicang for the first time. The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration between Chinese and German enterprises and universities in research, technology, and industrial development. Delegation members also toured key industrial parks, gaining firsthand insight into China's manufacturing and high-tech industries. 

The trip sought to expand German engineering students' international horizons, deepen industry-academia-research integration, and build a platform for youth talent exchange and international internship cooperation.

In recent years, the Taicang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the city's primary hub for Sino-German collaboration, has deepened ties with northern Germany by implementing a strategic plan to strengthen economic cooperation. Initiatives include establishing a liaison office in Hannover, partnering with the Hamburg Liaison Office in China, actively participating in the Hannover Messe, and hosting events such as "Taicang Day" in Hamburg. These efforts have helped attract notable projects like the TUI BLUE hotel brand under TUI Group and Ligum's Taicang branch.

Known as "The Hometown of German Enterprises", Taicang has been a leader in Sino-German cooperation for over 30 years, now home to more than 560 German companies with an annual output value exceeding 60 billion yuan ($8.44 billion). By integrating German quality into "Made in Taicang" and blending German culture with local life, Taicang has become a national model for all-round cooperation with Germany, combining industrial collaboration, vocational education, cultural exchange, and technological innovation.

An aerial view of Taicang. [Photo/VCG]