Welcoming the world to Bavaria: Tradition and modernism from China

Bavaria says “ni hao” to more than 12,000 Chinese citizens living in the state, 7,000 of them in the regional capital alone. A community that is constantly growing, just like the People’s Republic and its economy. It is therefore hardly surprising that more and more Chinese companies are also setting up in Bavaria.

The IT giant Alibaba, telecommunications corporation Huawei, car start-up Nio/Next EV are the major names among the Chinese settlements in Bavaria. Roughly 400 companies from the Far East in total have found their way to the state of Bavaria.

Contact for the establishment of Chinese firms

Besides Invest in Bavaria, companies can also find contacts at local partners to assist with settlement issues locally. For example, the China Zentrum Bayern based in Ingolstadt and the China Competence Center at the Swabian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Augsburg offer support and assistance. The Union zur Förderung Chinesischer Unternehmen in Bayern (Union for the Promotion of Chinese Companies in Bavaria – CUB) e.V. founded in March 2015 also offers valuable assistance to Chinese newcomers in Bavaria.

The Deutsch-Chinesische Wirtschaftsvereinigung e.V. (DCW) shows that it’s not just Munich that is interesting for Chinese companies. Besides the office for South Bavaria in Munich, the DCW can also be found in Nuremberg.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany has also been located in Bavaria since March 2017. As the third branch in Germany, this reflects the great importance of this location.

Mutual exchange

There isn’t just close exchange in business, Bavaria and China also have very close ties in research and teaching. They are promoted by the Bayerisches Hochschulzentrum für China. This service facility supports state universities in Bavaria, students who are interested in an exchange, as well as lecturers and helps with the general exchange between research and teaching. A substantial task with more than 4,300 Chinese students in Bavaria and more than 150 cooperation agreements between Bavarian and Chinese universities.

Apart from the universities, for example in the Chinese studies course at LMU München, or the Julius-Maximilians Universität Würzburg, other educational institutes are also based in Bavaria. This include the renowned <link>Confucius Institute<link>, which offers professional cultural training and language courses at three locations in Bavaria. Making Bavaria the federal state with the most locations in Germany. There is already a wide range on offer for children too. Including the PHORMS Kindergarten and associated primary school or the Isar-China International Chinese School, both in Munich.

Please click on the image to get a view of the complete infographic.

Tradition and contemporary culture

Economic strength is of course not the only thing that the partner from the Far East has to offer. The large Chinese community in Bavaria also makes an invaluable contribution to the cultural diversity in the state. The Chinaforum Bayern is responsible for its distribution, among others. As a result, the sixth Bavarian and Chinese Spring Festival was already organised in March. The “Chinaforum Breakfast Club” business breakfast also takes place regularly.