Germany woos Chinese logistics firms

The German government hopes to attract more Chinese logistics companies to invest in the country at a time when trade between the two sides is increasing.

In a bid to facilitate growing trade between the two countries, the German government has joined hands with its private sector to form Logistics Alliance Germany, which has been established to foster more co-operation and pursue joint ventures between the two sides.

"There are 10 to 15 negotiations between German and Chinese companies in the logistics sector under way right now," Stefan Schroder, executive director of Logistics Alliance Germany, said in Hong Kong last week after a visit to Shanghai and Shenzhen.

The group aims to facilitate the creation of 40 to 50 partnerships worldwide next year, with China being the top priority.

"Germany is a logistics hub for Europe, and if we want to build a bridge to the Far East, we need to balance trade between China and Germany," said Schroder. "To balance that trade, we need to find co-operation elsewhere."

At a time when China was upgrading its manufacturing sector to build its own branding for overseas expansion, the European bloc and its 500-million-strong population presented an attractive market for Chinese manufacturers, said Schroder, citing Huawei Technologies, BYD and Lenovo.