Jens Hildebrandt: Harvest the “Expo Effect” and Share China’s Opportunities

International Business News  –  Jens Hildebrandt, Executive Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China in North and Northeast China and Chief Representative of the German Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, recounts the changes, growth and gains that the German Chamber of Commerce in China has experienced since participating in the first CIIE:

The “Expo Effect” does exist, and there are many successful cases, such as signing various agreements, memorandums and trading contracts at the expo, all of which have gathered a good reputation for the expo, it can give you real gains.

As the German Chamber of Commerce, we have been in this market for over 25 years. We are here to serve 5,000 German companies (in China), half of whom are members of our German Chamber of Commerce. The German Chamber of Commerce has participated in the expo from the very beginning. The Ministry of Commerce of China contacted our headquarters in Germany, DIHK, to discuss the expo. Then we cooperated with the Shanghai office to organize the first German pavilion at the first CIIE , I must say very successful. I think it is precisely because of this experience that (German exhibitors) companies (at the 4th CIIE) reached a transaction intention of 17 billion US dollars, and there are some tangible results. This is an opportunity for companies to market themselves, so small and medium-sized German companies can boost their sales in the market through the CIIE because they seize the marketing opportunity.

I have been to three CIIEs, and each time I am impressed because what I see is a diverse picture of many countries participating, showcasing their new technologies, especially in the areas of high technology and decarbonization. For German companies, the participants of the CIIE have been successful in many ways. For example, Carl Cloos, a small and medium-sized enterprise engaged in welding business, signed an agreement of more than 600 million yuan at the CIIE. The CIIE also helps companies build long-lasting relationships with suppliers and customers, such as German chemical company Evonik, which signed a long-term agreement with an auto supplier at the CIIE. Another case is EASY MOTION SKIN, a small technology company, they got a lot of exposure by participating in the expo because they were able to get media coverage and show their products to the Chinese public through the media.

Looking back on the development of Sino-German relations over the past 50 years, China is Germany’s largest trading partner. I think this has been the sixth consecutive year. Now we will operate the German pavilion again at the CIIE, we are promoting the CIIE and planning to hold many live events during the CIIE, the next step to make it (the CIIE) more valuable is to make the CIIE has become a bigger international event. German companies in almost all industries have seen the growth prospects of the Chinese market in the next ten years, which is why German companies are very eager to see and participate in China’s development.