From June 5 to 7, the Annual Event of the Deutsch-Chinesische Vereinigung der Automobilfachleute (DCVA), along with the Matchmaking Conference on Synergistic Development of Intelligent Automotive and Robotics Industry Chains, was held in Changsha. During the event, participating guests conducted field visits to key industrial parks and enterprises such as the Xiangjiang Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industrial Park, the Schaeffler Changsha R&D Center, and CiDi. Leading German automotive companies, domestic automakers, and university researchers jointly explored new pathways for the synergistic development of intelligent automotive and robotics industry chains.

At the matchmaking conference, German enterprises such as SEG Automotive that are deeply rooted in Hunan shared their achievements in the province. The operation model of German-invested enterprises in Hunan is rapidly transitioning from single production to an integrated model of "R&D, production, and sales." Zhang Lihua, president of Webasto China, noted that Hunan provides an ideal base for China-Germany automotive industry chain collaboration for its well-established advanced manufacturing foundation and open, inclusive business environment. Zhang Yilin, CEO of Schaeffler Greater China, believed that Hunan's supporting capabilities and scientific and educational resources in the automotive industry offer unique advantages for absorbing German technology spillovers. Attendees unanimously agreed that intelligent automotive and robotics industries are entering a new phase characterized by shared technological origins and collaborative innovation, and that German advanced technology aligns closely with Hunan's complete automotive industry chain, promising broad development prospects.

In recent years, Hunan has prioritized deepening cooperation with Germany as a key strategy for building a hub for reform and opening up in inland regions. The German SME Headquarters Cluster (Hunan) has been established, and a series of measures to deepen cooperation between Hunan and Germany have been introduced, continuously optimizing full-cycle services for foreign investment. Hunan has become a popular destination for German companies expanding in China, with cumulative investment volume by well-known German firms such as Bosch, Schaeffler, Mahle, and SEG Automotive in the province exceeding 30 billion CNY.

According to the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, the province has established a province-wide coordinated mechanism for investment promotion. Taking this matchmaking conference as an example, the Yangtze River Delta Investment Promotion Team under the Shanghai Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government took the lead in making connections, while the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province coordinated with municipal and prefectural-level industrial parks to facilitate the implementation of projects, thereby creating a sound framework characterized by "provincial coordination, municipal and prefectural leadership, and provincial-municipal collaboration." Moving forward, Hunan will conduct two-way economic and trade exchanges with Germany on a regular basis, deepen collaboration across industrial, supply, and innovation chains, and continuously create more room for economic and trade cooperation between the two regions.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.  

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn