Press Release

Official Announcement! Messe Berlin Joins Hands with Chengdu to Draw a New Blueprint for Industrial Cooperation

On October 15, Dirk Hoffmann, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Berlin, was invited to attend the 2025 China (Chengdu) – Berlin Economic and Trade Cooperation Matchmaking Conference, hosted by the Chengdu Municipal Government in Berlin, Germany. With the theme “Exhibition – Trade Synergy · Co-creating the Future”, the event released the Chengdu Economic and Trade Cooperation Opportunities List and officially announced that Messe Berlin has become an overseas cooperation partner of Chengdu’s “Open Chengdu” initiative. Moving forward, both sides will jointly explore new areas of business and trade collaboration.

The conference gathered representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Germany, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade (BWA), and the Sino-German Association for Science and Technology Exchange, among others. Together, they built a platform for Sino-German enterprise dialogue and trade cooperation.

At the event, the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Commerce released the Chengdu–Germany Economic and Trade Cooperation Opportunities List (2025), covering five major categories — goods trade, services trade, outbound investment, exhibition cooperation, and overseas expansion services — with a total of 156 opportunities. These span industries such as import and export trade, logistics and supply chains, cross-border e-commerce, gaming and esports, biopharmaceuticals, finance and insurance, and legal consulting. During the signing ceremony, 15 cooperation projects were concluded with a total contract value of RMB 8.1 billion.

At the event, Dirk Hoffmann, COO of Messe Berlin, also held in-depth discussions with Mr. Zhong Qian, Deputy Director of the Chengdu Bureau of Expositions (CCPIT Chengdu Sub-Council). The two sides exchanged views on exhibition cooperation and industrial collaboration, reaching an initial consensus on potential areas of partnership.

In fact, Chengdu and Germany share a long history of exchanges. Since the 1980s, German industrial technology has entered Chengdu, leading to the establishment of the city’s first electronic mold center and the FAW-Volkswagen Chengdu Plant through joint ventures. Meanwhile, Chengdu’s giant pandas “Bao Bao,” “Tian Tian,” “Meng Meng,” and “Jiao Qing” have also traveled to Germany, becoming symbols of Sino-German friendship.

This year marks a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Germany. Against this backdrop, Chengdu’s trade ties with Germany have grown closer, with bilateral trade volume increasing by an average of 6.6% annually over the past five years. In 2024, Chengdu’s foreign trade with Germany reached €2.84 billion, up 3.9% year-on-year.

A representative from the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Commerce commented: “This cooperation conference is both an important step for Chengdu enterprises to ‘go global’ and a great window for German enterprises to ‘come in.’ We believe this event marks a promising beginning for deeper cooperation between Chengdu and Messe Berlin.”