A delegation of officials from Bocholt municipal government attends the 2025 Wuxi International Month in Wuxi in March. [Photo/Wuxi Daily]
Gudrun Koppers, vice-mayor of Bocholt, a sister city of Wuxi in Germany, led a delegation of 44 citizens to Wuxi from Oct 19 to 22, fulfilling a wish she had expressed earlier in March.
The relationship between Wuxi and Bocholt began in 1987 when a group of entrepreneurs from Bocholt traveled to Wuxi to sign economic and technical cooperation agreements with four local companies. This early partnership created a strong basis for continued economic and trade exchanges.
Looking ahead, both cities plan to utilize Wuxi's modern industrial clusters and Bocholt's expertise in advanced manufacturing to collaborate in areas such as smart manufacturing, automotive and auto parts, and microelectronics and information technology, transforming their friendship into tangible cooperative achievements.
In Wuxi's network of German sister cities, the connection with Bocholt is a deep and resonant "echo", whereas the friendship with Leverkusen remains a bright and lasting "harmony".
A joint concert between Wuxi Children's Palace Choir and a choir from Leverkusen takes place in Leverkusen in 2024. [Photo/Wuxi Daily]
In the year after establishing ties in 2005, a Chinese Loong Pavilion from Wuxi was built in Leverkusen, mirroring Bocholt's Hexagonal Glazed Tile Loong Pavilion, a gift from Wuxi in 2001, and acting as a symbol of their friendship.
Since the 1990s, Bayer AG, a Fortune Global 500 company, and its spin-off Lanxess have been active in Wuxi, investing in four companies and establishing a strong foundation for industrial collaboration. In 2021, Lanxess enhanced this partnership by signing a strategic cooperation agreement with Jiangnan University.
The "Wuxi-Leverkusen Forum", founded by friends in Leverkusen, has long been committed to teaching Chinese and promoting Wuxi, serving as a "Wuxi civilian embassy" embedded in the local community. In October 2024, the Wuxi Children's Palace Choir visited Leverkusen and performed a joint concert with a local choir, using their pure voices to strengthen the friendship between the two cities.
