Chen Xiaochun

654789759@qq.com

IT’S extremely important that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits China and meets President Xi Jinping because face-to-face discussion is better than phone conversations, according to Klaus Zenkel, vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce in China and chairman of the European Chamber South China Chapter.

“Though there is some opposition in Germany, the European Chamber thinks that this is a very good decision,” Zenkel told Shenzhen Daily in an exclusive interview. “He just needs to come and talk. He needs to focus on what benefits the German economy.”

Zenkel said that traditionally, China and Germany always had a very good relationship. “Bilateral talks will help reach a common understanding,” he said. “They are necessary because of globalization and to reach the goals regarding carbon neutrality and decarbonization.”

Zenkel said that, apart from the new Neopentyl Glycol (NPG) plant of German chemical giant BASF in the city of Zhanjiang, there are other German projects in Guangdong Province, with some having been operating for a very long time. “You have Siemens in Shenzhen. They started with a joint venture 20 years ago and have grown from 50 employees back then to almost 1,000 employees now,” he said.

Zenkel also mentioned WIK, the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) coffee machine maker in Bao’an District; Lufthansa Technik, which makes spare parts and does maintenance work for aircraft; and the Sino-German (Europe) Industrial Park, which is home to several German companies.

The European Chamber South China Chapter is a nonprofit organization that bridges South China with Europe. One of the chamber’s goals is to convince European enterprises to invest in China.

“The European Chamber represents many countries from Europe. So, we have a strong voice, and our voice is recognized by the governments as well as by the European Commission. As the vice president, my aim is to recruit more members and provide a better service to everyone,” Zenkel said.