Bavaria's partner province in southern China opens European office in Munich

MUNICH   The southern Chinese province of Guangdong is opening a liaison office for business and trade in Munich. The region with the strongest economy is China plans to use the Bavarian capital as a base for expanding its presence in Europe. "Setting up the office in Munich is an important milestone in the cooperation between Bavaria and China. The economic structures in Bavaria and Guangdong complement one another perfectly. After China's economic powerhouse chose the state as a partner as far back as 2004, this decision to set up an office in Munich is further proof of the outstanding location qualities Bavaria has to offer. This makes the Bavarian capital the central port of call for companies from Guangdong interested in the European market," says Bavaria's Vice Minister of Economic Affairs, Franz Josef Pschierer. Bavarian companies interested in Guangdong and in China as a whole will also benefit from the office.

The choice of location is no coincidence. "The central location on the European market, the excellent international reputation as a business and science location, the large Chinese community, the 25 direct flights to China every week – and not least the outstanding support received from the Bavarian Ministry for the Economy and Invest in Bavaria, including from native Chinese speakers – were the decisive factors for me when I was choosing a location," says Wen Zhiyao, Chief Representative of the Province of Guangdong in Munich.

Bavaria and Guangdong have a close relationship that has been characterised by symbols of mutual friendship for many years. Large numbers of Bavarian companies maintain intensive business contacts with Guangdong. In return, Chinese companies such as Pearl River Piano, Huawei and ZTE have set up branches in Bavaria. Shenzhen and the Nuremberg region have been twinned since 1997. Bavaria's second representative office in Shenzhen began work in summer 2013, while the same year also saw the establishment of the city of Jieyang's Sino-German Metal Ecopark liaison office in Munich. 2014 is the tenth anniversary of the signing of the partnership agreement between Guangdong and the state of Bavaria.

At 178,000 km², the province of Guangdong in the Pearl River delta is around half the size of Germany. Guangdong has maintained its position as the most open region and the region with the strongest economy in China for around 25 years now. A consistently high level of growth is enjoyed in Guangdong not only by the classic key sectors, but especially in the high-tech industries such as new materials, biotechnology and information and communications technology. Guangdong makes a significant contribution to the economy of the People's Republic, with a GDP in 2012 of EUR 700 billion, or eleven per cent of the total.