China, Germany keen to add to two-way exchanges

Technology and expertise now flow bilaterally between Chinese and German companies, representing a shift away from the previous one-way road from Germany as seen in the past, according to a report by Chinese and German researchers published on Monday.

The report was released during a forum held in Shunyi district, Beijing, where a cluster of German companies are located.

The event, entitled China-Germany (China-Europe) Hidden Champions Forum 2026, gathered more than 400 senior executives and business organizations from Europe, in particular Germany, with their Chinese counterparts also joining.

The report was made by the international cooperation center under China’s National Reform and Development Commission, and the German-European Center in China for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

Among surveyed enterprises, 38 percent of the European companies intend to scale up R&D investment in China, while 40 percent plan to grant local Chinese operations greater decision-making autonomy from their German headquarters.

Meanwhile, leading Chinese brands including Li Auto and NIO have also set up R&D and design centers in Germany.

During the event, a public service station to overcome technical barriers to trade was inaugurated. In addition, a new partnership project which invites German and European business leaders to boost an economic and technological model zone based in Shunyi was launched.

Tang Wenhong, vice-mayor of Beijing, said: "Beijing will beef up its efforts to pilot the development of the economic and technological cooperation zone for China and German businesses, luring more hidden champions in different sectors to join the city's efforts to build itself as an international science and technological innovation center.”