German Chancellor Merkel's Hangzhou Visit Meets with 10 Chinese Enterprises — Why These Particular Ones?

German Chancellor Merz dedicated valuable time to a two-day, compact visit to China. According to Xinhua News Agency, visiting Chinese and German companies and promoting practical cooperation were the highlights of Merz’s schedule on February 26. That noon, Merz arrived in Hangzhou, leading about 30 top German company executives to visit the Chinese humanoid robot company Yushu Technology and touring the Hangzhou factory jointly built by Siemens Energy and a Chinese enterprise.

That noon, Merz and the accompanying delegation took a group photo with local entrepreneurs in Hangzhou, which was highly informative. According to “Yuyuan Tan Tian,” the 10 Chinese companies in the photo were: Chint Group, Geely Holding Group, Alibaba Group, Rongsheng Petrochemical, Sanhua Holding Group, Leapmotor, Linde Asia Pacific Engineering, Yushu Technology, Qiangnao Technology, and Lingban Technology.

Hangzhou is not only home to Alibaba but also a large number of industrial giants and tech startups. From traditional manufacturing to internet technology, from new energy vehicles to AI frontiers, this list almost encapsulates the trajectory of Chinese industry exploration. The new directions of China-Germany cooperation may also be glimpsed here.

Founded in 1984, Chint Group has deep roots in manufacturing and is a globally renowned provider of smart energy system solutions. Building on its original low-voltage electrical appliance business, Chint has expanded into new energy, energy storage, and other fields, while also pioneering graphene new materials, flexible DC, solid-state transformers, and virtual power plants. Its business spans over 140 countries and regions, with 2024 revenue reaching 178 billion yuan. According to CCTV, Chint Group Chairman Nan Cunhui also attended the China-Germany Economic Advisory Committee meeting in Beijing on the 25th. Green transformation is one of the core areas of China-Germany economic and trade cooperation and a strength of Chinese companies like Chint.

“Both China and Germany are manufacturing powerhouses, and practical cooperation in green low-carbon and AI fields is worth looking forward to,” Nan Cunhui said at the group photo. As a “perennial” Zhejiang businessman, Nan Cunhui stated that Chint has served the German market for many years and will continue to focus on localized development to support local energy transition.

In the photo, BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse, Mercedes-Benz Group Chairman Ola Källenius, Geely Holding Group Chairman Li Shufu, and Leapmotor founder Zhu Jiangming appeared together. Many years ago, Geely and Mercedes-Benz jointly established the global joint venture “Smart Automobile Co., Ltd.,” headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang. As a global automaker, Geely has long been a representative and microcosm of the deep integration of the China-Germany automotive supply chain.

Under the wave of intelligent electrification, the German auto industry is facing a structural transformation “must-answer.” As a representative of China’s local new energy vehicle companies, Leapmotor formed Leapmotor International with Stellantis in 2024. Its exports now cover Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, the Middle East, and Africa, and in 2025, it will surpass 67,000 units exported, winning the overseas sales champion among new forces. At last year’s Shanghai Auto Show, Zhu Jiangming revealed, “Leapmotor’s best-selling region overseas is Germany, and the largest sales are in Germany.”

Zhu Jiangming is optimistic about the cooperation prospects, stating that German automakers have deep brand heritage and mechanical manufacturing advantages, while Chinese companies excel in core new energy vehicle parts, electronic and electrical architecture, and smart cabins.

Rongsheng Petrochemical is one of China’s leading private petrochemical companies. It ranked 11th on ICIS’s “Top 100 Chemical Companies in the World” list and 6th in the “Billion-Dollar Chemical Companies Club” by Chemical Weekly in the U.S. The chemical industry is a traditional strength of Germany, and recently, German chemical giants have been expanding their presence in China. BASF’s integrated base in Zhanjiang started production last year, marking BASF’s largest single investment project to date, with an estimated total investment of about 8.7 billion euros. BASF Executive Board Chairman Martin Brudermüller told German media, “If you want to maintain growth in the chemical industry, you must develop in China. China is the world’s largest chemical market and the largest manufacturing country.”

In the fields of intelligent connectivity and digital ecosystems, China-Germany cooperation continues to deepen. BMW is working with Alibaba to develop intelligent human-vehicle interaction systems. Zipse said in an interview that cooperation with Chinese companies has become routine.

Compared to Alibaba, Chint, Geely, and others, Sanhua Holding’s name may be less familiar to most, but it is a hidden champion in global refrigeration appliances and new energy vehicle thermal management. According to its website, the company holds the first place globally in over 10 product categories and ranks in the top three for over 30 categories, with domestic and international markets each accounting for about 50% of revenue. In 2024, Sanhua achieved global sales of 62.45 billion yuan, serving major domestic and international new energy vehicle manufacturers.

In 2020, the global industrial gases and engineering giant Linde Group established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hangzhou, covering more than 10 countries and regions.

Yushu Technology has deep collaborations with German giants like DHL and Siemens. Chairman Wang Xingxing said in an interview that Merz’s visit is an excellent opportunity to establish broader cooperation with German companies and jointly promote the development of the intelligent robot industry worldwide. He believes the German market has huge potential, and the good development trend of intelligent robots and AI will benefit industry growth and all humanity.

Founded in 2015, Qiangnao Technology focuses on non-invasive brain-computer interface technology research and applications, making it a global leader and China’s first unicorn in this field. According to China News Service, founder Han Bicheng also introduced at the group photo that Germany is an important market for non-invasive brain-computer interface technology, with about 30%-40% of revenue coming from overseas.

Lingban Technology specializes in human-computer interaction technology. During the welcome lunch, CEO Zhu Mingming spoke as a representative of Zhejiang tech companies, and Merz’s team experienced the company’s AI glasses on site. Zhu Mingming said Germany is Lingban’s largest market in Europe, accounting for half of its European sales. “We have extensive cooperation with Audi, Volkswagen, and other automakers.” He believes Germany’s strengths lie in industrial manufacturing and green manufacturing, while Lingban focuses on digital innovation, human-computer interaction, and AI. “This is a mutually empowering relationship, not intense competition.”

Merz also visited Siemens Energy High-Voltage Switchgear (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., inspecting the production workshop and high-voltage testing center to understand the development of German-funded enterprises in China. Founded in 1995, the company is a Sino-foreign joint venture with Siemens Energy, Zhejiang Hongfa, and China Huadian. It has become an important manufacturing base within Siemens Energy’s global system, with leading R&D and production capabilities for high-voltage circuit breakers and isolators, exporting to over 90 countries and regions.