Suzhou Mayor Wu Qingwen welcomed a delegation led by Pit Heltmann, the consul general of Germany in Shanghai, on July 19.

Wu praised the longstanding, close economic and cultural exchanges between Suzhou and Germany. He expressed his eagerness to fortify industrial collaboration and to facilitate more substantial cooperation initiatives. He invited German enterprises to invest and prosper in Suzhou.

The mayor affirmed the city's unwavering commitment to delivering top-notch services, proactively understanding and responding to the needs of businesses, and promptly addressing any challenges that arise during their development journey.

Highlighting Germany's distinct advantages in vocational education, Wu urged both parties to refine their cooperation mechanisms further. He emphasized the significance of increased interactions between educational institutions and enterprises, aiming to advance the nurturing of skilled talents in tandem with the evolving requirements of the business landscape.

Heltmann expressed profound appreciation for Suzhou's support in bilateral exchanges and investments from Germany. He lauded the remarkable outcomes achieved through collaborations across various sectors, with particular admiration for the exemplary cooperation exemplified by Taicang, a county-level city of Suzhou.

Recognizing Suzhou's position as a burgeoning destination for German investments, Heltmann envisioned a future characterized by more profound economic and cultural engagements.

As of April, Suzhou hosts 728 operational enterprises backed by German investments, amounting to over $31 billion in practical capital utilization. Taicang, a model of Sino-German collaboration, has attracted nearly 480 German enterprises.