According to Zhou Li, vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Belt and Road Initiative brings unprecedented opportunities to the economic and social development of countries along the Maritime Silk Road under the background of profoundly changing international situation and sluggishly recovering world economy.

Zhou pointed out that China and Germany have enhanced high-level reciprocal visits in recent years and the political mutual trust has increased. The two countries have strong complementarity in economy and broad prospects in cooperation. Through the combination of Chinese market and speed and German technology and quality, the Sino-German cooperative partnership will further deepen.

Taicang holds the Belt and Road Initiative and Dialogue of New Sino-German Cooperation on June 1. [Photo by Feng Lu]

Rudolf Scharping, former defense minister and chairman of the German Social Democratic Party, said that the dialogue is of great importance because 2015 is the year of Sino-German cooperation and also the first year of promoting the Belt and Road Initiative to foreign countries. He said Taicang has many advantages in attracting German-owned enterprises, such as a sound investment environment, preferential policies and over 20 years of cooperation experience.

As the CEO of RSBK GmbH, Rudolf Scharping expressed his willingness to promote economic and commercial cooperation between regions and enterprises of the two countries by inter-party contacts and the dialogue platform established by CECC.

Participants watch an advertising video of the Belt and Road Initiative dialogue platform for industrial and commercial circles. [Photo by Feng Lu]

The dialogue marked the official launch of the Belt and Road Initiative dialogue platform for industrial and commercial circles.

Since the first German company Kern-Liebers (Taicang) Co. settled down in 1993, over 200 German companies have invested in Taicang Economic Development Area. The products are mainly in advanced equipment manufacturing, autoparts, new building materials and biopharmaceuticals. As the "Hometown of German Companies in China", Taicang is striving to cooperate with more German companies and become a typical demonstration area in Sino-German economic cooperation.

By Feng Lu and edited by Andrew Ancheta