A high-level meeting on Sino-German industrial cooperation held in the Sino-German Industrial Services Zone in Foshan in South China's Guangdong province on Sept 10 attracted over 500 participants, including officials, leading professors and company representatives from both sides.

Mo Wei, office director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, delivered the keynote speech at the meeting, titled "Made in China 2025 Meets German Industry 4.0”. He said that the conference provided a platform for both sides to promote mutual trust and in-depth cooperation at both the governmental and personal levels.

The Sino-German Industrial Services Zone could make a positive contribution to Sino-German economic cooperation in this regard, he said.

Wang Yueqin, director of the Guangdong Big Data Administrative Bureau, then introduced Guangdong province's achievements in the manufacturing and information industries. She later announced that five cities in China — Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Jieyang and Yunfu — had put forward a proposed "Sino-German City Alliance", with five industrial cities in Germany — Bremen, Hannover, Wuppertal, Osnabrück and Aachen.

Qu Bangmin, secretary of the Sino-German Industrial Services Zone Party committee, stressed the importance of the "Sino-German City Alliance" proposal and said German companies such as Hannover Fairs China Ltd choosing to open branch offices in Foshan was helping to bring the local economy more in line with international practice.

At a strategic meeting hosted in the manufacturing center of the Pearl River Delta, participants said the conference was conducive to upgrading Chinese corporations and the integration of traditional manufacturing with the modern service industry.