Recently, Wang Quan, secretary of the Changzhou Municipal Committee of CPC, led the Changzhou Economic and Trade Delegation to Europe.

On August 19, Wang Quan and his delegation visited GETEC Getriebe Technik GmbH. GETEC specializes in the development of automotive powertrain and provides professional engineering services. It is the technical partner of Tech-New Group’s Kuntye Vehicle System (Changzhou) Co., Ltd. in Europe, responsible for the operation of Kuntye Vehicle’s technical center in Germany. The total investment of Kuntye’s Changzhou project is 10.4 billion yuan, which is the first project exceeding 10 billion investment in Changzhou National High-Tech District (CND).

On the same day, the delegation visited RWTH Aachen University. Founded in 1870, RWTH Aachen University is a research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With more than 42,000 students enrolled in 144 study programs, it is the largest technical university in Germany and one of the most renowned in Europe. Members of the delegation visited the university's IT Center, Institute for Automotive Engineering and University Medical Center, and expressed appreciation for its close links to industry.

On August 20, the delegation visited Befesa S.A. Befesa is a services company specializing in the recycling of steel dust, salt slags and aluminium residues, as well as related logistics and other related industrial services. In April this year, Befesa Environmental Protection Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., with a total investment of 50 million US dollars, laid the foundation stone in Jiangsu Changzhou Economic Zone. It is Befesa’s first Chinese branch specializing in the recycling of steel dust, which adopts the EU standard in construction and is expected to be put into trial operation in the second half of 2020.

During their stay in Germany, members of the Changzhou Economic and Trade Delegation also visited the international friendship city Essen. Since the establishment of friendship-city relationship between the Changzhou and Essen in 2012, the two sides have maintained close cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, education, culture and other fields, achieving positive and extensive results. Essen has won the titles of ‘European Capital of Culture� in 2010 and ‘European Green Capital� in 2017.

Wang Quan also visited ThyssenKrupp AG’s headquarters in Essen. ThyssenKrupp is a technology group with traditional strengths in materials. Over 160,000 employees in 78 countries work with passion and technological know-how to develop high-quality products and intelligent industrial processes and services for sustainable progress. Currently, ThyssenKrupp has invested in three projects in Changzhou.

The delegation also visited LANXESS AG. LANXESS is a leader in in specialty chemicals and operates in all important global markets. The group has currently invested in three projects in the CND with a total investment of approximately 390 million US dollars.

As of June this year, Changzhou has cumulatively approved or filed 176 German-invested companies, with a total registered foreign investment of 1.1 billion dollars. Six of the Fortune 500 companies in Germany, including Siemens, ThyssenKrupp, Bosch, Continental, Metro and Mann, have invested in eight projects in Changzhou.

City leaders Zhou Bin and Li Lin participated in the economic and trade activities.