On April 10th, a German delegation from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Economic Forum, led by Matthias Machnig, Vice President of the SPD Economic Forum and former State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, visited Anhui. The delegation was accompanied by officials from the China Economic Cooperation Center of International Liaison Department, the Foreign Affairs Office of Anhui Provincial People's Government, and relevant officials from Hefei Municipal Government.

Over the years, Anhui has actively participated in pragmatic cooperation between China and Germany and has achieved fruitful results in areas such as sister cities construction, industrial cooperation, and cultural exchanges. As early as 1984, Anhui established a friendly provincial-state relationship with Lower Saxony, Germany. In recent years, the Volkswagen Group has established its new energy vehicle manufacturing center in Anhui and set up its only new energy vehicle research and innovation center outside of its headquarters, in Hefei. Germany has become Hefei's second-largest trading partner within the European Union. Hefei has also established friendly relationships with four German cities, namely Osnabrück, Rostock, Cottbus, and Stralsund.

During the visit, the delegation visited the Volkswagen (Anhui) Research and Development Center and NIO Automobile to gain firsthand knowledge of the latest achievements in Anhui's new energy vehicle industry. Subsequently, in the China-Germany International Meeting Room, the delegation held discussions with Hefei enterprises on topics such as new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine, engaging in in-depth exchanges and sharing opinions on deepening bilateral industrial cooperation.

Machnig expressed his appreciation for Anhui's development. He stated that Anhui has achieved rapid economic development, remarkable achievements, numerous highlights, and impressive progress. In the new era, facing new challenges, he hopes that both sides can seize opportunities, strengthen exchanges and communication, identify common ground, establish a fair, just, and transparent cooperation mechanism, and promote a mutually beneficial and win-win development situation.

Source: anhuinews.com