A non-governmental body established by Chinese and German enterperneurs is attempting to forge closer business and cultural ties between the two countries.
To promote Sino-German social, economic and cultural exchanges, the Dusseldorf China Center (DCC) was founded in 2005 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Liu Ying, chief representative officer of DCC, said, “Since it began operation, DCC has committed itself to strengthening friendship between the two countries.”
Located in the center of Germany’s industrial heartland, Dusseldorf is an ideal place for Chinese companies to set up their European headquarters.
As the only Chinese-run organization in Germany that promotes cross-cultural cooperation, DCC has been active in helping Chinese companies to seek business opportunities and forge partnerships in the area during the past three years.
It brings together company representatives from both countries to make way for potential cooperation, by organizing various business promotion activities and forums.
China Week
China week is held every year, exhibiting the cultural, social and economic landscape of China. The third event, attracting over 3,000 visitors from around Germany, was held in Dusseldorf at the end of last year.
“As the gateway for German people to get firsthand experience of the Chinese culture, China Week has become an ideal platform for promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries,” said Liu.
“Based on that, we also try to bring forward the image of a modern China that promises vast opportunities by holding lectures and forums on the economic changes of the country.”
However, DDC is only one part of a larger picture of economic and cultural exchange happening between German and China.
Over the past few years, Sino-German economic ties have been in rapid development. Famous for the leadership in car manufacturing and mechanical engineering, German companies have been collaborating with their Chinese counterparts in various industrial undertakings.
Cultural exchange is also on the agenda. “Germany and China-Moving Ahead Together”, a project showing Germany as an innovative and dynamic country, was launched in Nanjing in 2007 and will travel to five other Chinese cities, completing in Shanghai during the World Expo in 2010.
Energy efficiency and sustainable development are at the heart of cooperation opportunities for the two countries, DCC believes.
“Major German companies like Allianz, BASF and Siemens all exhibited their latest innovations in eco-friendly products during the event. We want to extend this field of cooperation by arranging a forum on environmental protection in Beijing this October,” Liu said.
“At this year’s China Week, which will go to four other cities besides Dusseldorf, we’ll engage more Chinese companies and make it into a genuine cultural and business promotion fair.”
DCC believes cultural dialog is of vital importance to paving the way for broader integration between German and China.
“We cannot separate business from culture,” said Liu. “With different cultural backgrounds, people from the two countries need to know more about each other to understand and respect their different behaviors and attitudes, which is the first step to reaching agreement.”
“That’s why at DCC we try to integrate cultural activities into every aspect of our business promotion efforts. We want to make sure that what we present to the German people is an open and dynamic China that not only enjoys rapid economic growth, but also breeds rich cultural heritage.”
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