German Chamber of Commerce in China. North China Shanghai South & Southwest

Transcription

1 German Chamber of Commerce in China North China Shanghai South & Southwest

2 GUIDED ACCURATELY BULLSEYE SHOT WITH US It looks so easy a target, an arrow and shot directly into the bullseye. But it is not that easy. It also applies to the conquest of a new, foreign market. Besides a calm hand, patience, strength and nerves of steel, a good preparation is needed. For permanent success, the whole process has to be studied in order to aim at the target at the decisive moment and send the arrow on its journey. We cannot take over everything, but we can show you how to be best prepared, what the business environment impacts are, and what challenges and opportunities you will find in the People s Republic of China. For over 20 years, we have been accompanying German and European companies on their way to the Middle Kingdom. With lifeblood and passion, we always keep your success in mind so the arrow never misses the goal. As lawyers, tax advisers, management and IT consultants and auditors, we are present in 108 own locations in 50 countries. Worldwide, our clients trust our 4,500 colleagues.

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4 AIRFREIGHT OCEAN FREIGHT TRUCKING SERVICE CUSTOMS BROKERAGE WAREHOUSING IN-PLANT-SERVICES PROJECTS HIGH-TECH CHEMICALS German Chamber of Commerce in China LOGISTICS IS OUR LIFE WE FOCUS COMPLETELY ON CUSTOMERS. As an owner-managed company, we at Rhenus believe it is essential to remain close to our customers. We focus on our customers needs and requests in our daily business. And because each customer, each item and each requirement are different, we not only offer standardised solutions, but combine individual logistics products, if required, so that they are tailored to our customers individual needs. KEY FIGURES // Year founded: 1912 // Sales: 4.8 Billion // Employees: 28,000 // Locations: 580 CONTACT US Sharon Shen Head of Sales Department Rhenus Logistics China Limited Phone: +86 (0) Kristy Tang Head of Route Development Department Rhenus Logistics China Limited Phone: +86 (0)

5 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 CONTENT 6 Foreword German Chamber of Commerce in China 8 About us 9 Interviews with the Chairpersons 12 Chamber Boards and Chamber Teams Membership 16 Membership Statistics 18 Financials 19 Membership Benefits and Services 21 Publications 22 GCC in the Press GCC Surveys 24 Business Confidence Survey 2017/18 25 Labor Market & Salary Report 2017/18 26 Innovation Survey 2017 Chamber Activities 27 Overview of All Events Chamber Meetings Shanghai 36 Workshops Shanghai 50 Special Events Shanghai 56 ASEAN Breakfast in Shanghai 58 Greater China Day 2017 at the IHK Cologne 60 Industrie 4.0 Forum 62 Social Responsibility th German Ball 68 Social Events 70 Working Groups and Workshops Neighboring Provinces 74 Special Events Neighboring Provinces 78 5 th Sino-German Controlling Forum 79 Imprint 5

6 FOREWORD Dear members and partners of the German Chamber of Commerce in China, The year of the rooster has come to an end, and we would like to take a moment to highlight the most important projects of the year This annual report summarizes the achievements and accomplishments of the past year, presenting the developments of the German Chamber of Commerce in China was again a year of close Sino-German cooperation in business as well as politics. In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping led a high-level delegation to attend the G20 Summit in Hamburg while German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel visited Beijing in May. Following the Chamber s long-standing tradition of conducting in-depth annual surveys, for the first time this year, an Innovation Survey of the Greater Shanghai region joined the ranks of the well-established China wide Business Confidence and Wage and Salary Surveys. These surveys rely on our members support and contributions and provide unique insights into the current economic and business trends for German businesses in China. In 2017, the Chamber offered a wide spectrum of business events throughout mainland China, informing and supporting members at workshops, discussion forums, business roundtables, training sessions and other events designed to directly address the issues that members identified as most important to them. As German companies are operating in a great range of cities throughout China, the German Chamber of Commerce North China further expanded its regional activities in terms of new members and events to Jilin and Liaoning. One highlight of our event calendar was the Industrie 4.0 Forum in Shanghai at the end of October, which brought together leaders of the Sino-German business community for a day of speeches, panel discussions and workshop sessions and a special visit by the President of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), Dr. Eric Schweitzer. In October, Beijing celebrated its 20-Year Anniversary with an evening gala attended by about 200 exclusively invited guests. Besides a delegation from Germany, led by Dr. Eric Schweitzer, President of the DIHK in Berlin, and representatives of German member companies in North China, Chinese government representatives were also attending the event, such as representatives of the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC among others. The 2 nd More than a Market Awards Forum and Gala shed a light on enterprises practicing social responsibility as part of their business activities. Five projects received awards, showcasing the great variety of CSR and the growing roots of German companies in the Chinese society. We also stayed committed to offering plenty of opportunities to network and mingle: This year s German Balls were once again a major highlight of the German business community s social agenda: In total, more than 2000 guests attended the balls in Beijing and Shanghai. The annual German soccer tournaments in Beijing, Tianjin and Guangzhou offered members the opportunity to get together outside of their offices. In South and Southwest China, the Chamber launched the new event format Discover Germany in cooperation with the German Consulates in Guangzhou and Chengdu to promote Germany s business landscape, culture, education, travel destinations and F&B to Chinese consumers. Oktoberfests were successfully held in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Chengdu and Chongqing, attracting thousands of visitors from the Chinese and international business community in South and Southwest China. Overall, 2017 has been a very productive and successful year. The German Chamber has welcomed over 258 new members and now offers its services to 2371 members in mainland China. Looking forward into 2018, we anticipate a year that will offer opportunities and challenges alike. The German Chamber of Commerce in China will continue to provide our members with high-quality services and support. We strive to further cater to your needs and invite you to also utilize our network to keep your business in China growing. Yours truly, Alexandra Voss Executive Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China North China Delegation of German Industry & Commerce, Beijing Delegate & Chief Representative Simone Pohl Executive Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai Delegation of German Industry & Commerce, Shanghai Delegate & Chief Representative Jens Hildebrandt Executive Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China South & Southwest China Delegation of German Industry & Commerce, Guangzhou Delegate & Chief Representative 6

7 GERMAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN CHINA 2017 was a dynamic and successful year for the German Chamber of Commerce in China. The German Chamber team supported its members with a wide array of services. German and international companies actively participated in our activities and gained up-to-date and in-depth knowledge through our publications and events. We have offered a platform for the Sino-German business community and represented our members interests towards government bodies and the public. We are looking forward to making the year 2018 even more successful with and for our members. 7

8 German Chamber of Commerce in China ABOUT US AHK Greater China is the key supporter of German foreign business development in China, working on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. With its five main offices (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong & Taipei) and seven supporting offices (Tianjin, Shenyang, Taicang, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu) it represents German business interests in China and advocates Sino-German business cooperation. The first office in the Greater China Region was established in 1981 in Taipei. Since 1994 AHK Greater China has been active in mainland China. Official Representation The Delegations of German Industry and Commerce are the most important partners of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in terms of promotion of German business in Greater China. Together with Germany s missions abroad (embassy and consulates) the Delegations officially represent the interests of Germany s industry and commerce towards political and administrative authorities in China. Member Organization The German Chamber of Commerce in China is the official member organization of German companies in China. By providing up-todate market information and practical advice the German Chamber helps its members to succeed in China. It offers a platform for the Sino-German business community and represents its members interests towards stakeholders including government bodies and the public. The Chamber was founded in 1999 and currently has around 2,400 members in mainland China. Service Provider The service provider of the network of German Chambers of Commerce (AHK) in Greater China supports companies with their market entry and business development in China and Germany. Under the brand DEinternational, German Industry & Commerce it provides business services which encompass all aspects of the market entry process. These include market research and business partner search, company establishment and patent registration, recruitment and training, as well as PR and marketing support. Membership Development of the German Chamber of Commerce in China ( ) 1,469 2,224 2,

9 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 German Chamber of Commerce in China INTERVIEWS WITH THE CHAIRPERSONS Mr. Lothar Herrmann, Chairperson GCC North China How would you summarize the year 2017 in a few key words? Changing Challenging Outstanding brought again lots of changes in China s economic environment. Significant documents which reflect the intention of the Chinese authorities to further open up China s market and to improve the investment environment were published, yet at the same time a tightening of regulations in specific areas became more evident. A large number of member companies continued to report a substantial improvement in their respective business fields. What developments in your region and in the Chamber have been the most successful this year? We successfully expanded our services and activities within North China s Jilin and Liaoning provinces. Furthermore, we had about 180 business events. The most important social events in 2017 were the 6th German Soccer Tournament Beijing, the 5th German Soccer Tournament Tianjin and the 17 th German Ball Beijing. We successfully published the 10th edition of the Labor Market & Salary Report. Our annual Business Confidence Survey was broadly received by the Media. We have started to roll out the China-wide More than a Market initiative with a first time participation of companies from North China and South China. But the highlight of the year was the 20-Year Anniversary, which was attended by a delegation from Germany, led by Dr. Eric Schweitzer, President of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in Berlin and high-ranking Chinese government representatives. Have there been any new challenges and opportunities? German companies in China face old and new challenges as the result of our 2017/18 Business Confidence Survey shows. Finding qualified staff and increasing labor costs are as challenging as ever. Slow cross-border internet speed as well as internet access restrictions have jumped up in significance in 2017: two thirds of German companies in China struggle with these. There is still much uncertainty regarding the implications of the Cyber Security Law on business activities. On the other hand China s fast-paced domestic and international development and the industrial upgrade also bring along new opportunities for German companies and for cooperation with Chinese partners. What are your expectations for 2018? 2018 will bring some organizational changes to the Chamber. Throughout 2017 we have been developing a new membership concept (effective January 1 st, 2018). Another change will be the implementation of a more efficient and easy to use event announcement & registration tool and a WeChat channel. We will continue to analyze the 19 th CPC Party Congress in October 2017 and the impact on the business activities of our members. We are certain that a further opening up of the Chinese economy as well as the implementation of the various reforms will benefit both German and Chinese companies, and we believe that our bilateral economic relations are strong enough to solve the problems that exist in every good relationship. Your personal remarks for our Chamber members China`s impact on markets, businesses and regions is obviously becoming more significant. This poses additional challenges to businesses regardless of being a MNC, a SME or an individual business. I see it as a major task of the Chamber to support our members in better understanding the opportunities arising from the current development as well as to mitigate associated risks. We are looking forward in the upcoming year to continue to offer you the best possible support and advice in the Chinese market. After serving as Chairman for four years I have decided to resign from the German Chamber Board in April 2018 (while continuing my work as CEO Siemens Greater China). I want to thank our members for the confidence and trust shown, the Board members for their cooperation and the Chamber team for their dedicated work. Last but not least I would like to wish all our members the very best in all their current and future endeavors. 9

10 German Chamber of Commerce in China Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairperson GCC Shanghai How would you summarize the year 2017 in a few key words? Steady growth but quite some concerns and uncertainties and the big question: what will the new era mean for the German industry in China? What developments in your region and in the Chamber have been the most successful this year? 2017 was filled with many important events and milestones. The Chamber organized 189 events such as Chamber meetings, workshops and special events with more than 9400 participants. To name a few: The More than a Market initiative has been rolled out China-wide and we celebrated the second Award ceremony together with Liz Mohn in May. Roundtables on Industrie 4.0 and the new Cybersecurity Law were launched, as these topics are of growing importance to our members. Dr. Eric Schweitzer, President of DIHK was the keynote speaker at our Industrie 4.0 Forum in October. And we celebrated in November the 20th anniversary of the German Ball in Shanghai with more than 1200 guests. Apart from our many events, we continue to keep our members informed though our publications and surveys. Besides the regular insights provided in the German Chamber Ticker, we published in 2017 our 8th Business Confidence Survey and the 10th Labor Market and Salary Survey, and released for the first time, our Greater Shanghai Innovation Survey. Have there been any new challenges and opportunities? According to the results of our recent Business Confidence Survey, German companies were very positive regarding 2017 and have quite positive expectations for They welcome government initiatives like Made in China 2025 and their potential opportunities. Nevertheless, there are also big concerns and insecurity surrounding the impact of the new Cybersecurity Law and slow cross border internet speed as well as HR issues constitute the top 5 business challenges. Considering that 58% of respondents have their businesses in Shanghai and other Eastern provinces and 35.5% base their Greater China or Asia headquarters in Shanghai, confirms again the tremendous potential of the Yangtze-Delta region. Shanghai just released a master plan through 2035 to transform the city into a technology and innovation center, an eco-friendly metropolis aiming to further improve public transport network and livability. This lays the path for plenty of opportunities, especially for industries like transportation, construction and medical care. What are your expectations for 2018? After the Communist Party Congress of October 2017, the goals and plans announced will be put to the test in We can foresee a tight political environment, a strengthened state-sector under firm party control, increased regulatory attention to financial and environmental risks and an even stronger state-led push into strategic areas outlined in plans like Made in China 2025 and the Belt and Road initiative. Still, German companies can benefit by adjusting to the new investment and technology interests and the overall commercial and industrial development goals of the Chinese government. The focus of the government on innovation sets a new strategic priority and is challenging for us. Nevertheless, China is not only a serious competitor but also a market offering opportunities, especially in the Yangtze-Delta region. Looking at macro-economic indicators, China s start of the year was promising, it is difficult to predict if the country is heading towards a new upswing, a further cooling of the economy, or something in between. But we should not be too distracted by uncertainties, they have always existed in China. Your personal remarks for our Chamber members On behalf of the whole Board of Directors I would like to thank our members for their support and cooperation. Your active involvement and engagement in all our surveys, workshops, round-table discussions and our CSR initiative More than a Market is highly important to us. We always appreciate your feedback and comments as we are committed to continuously improve our services and to support you even better in doing business in China. With our new office now located in Huangpu district, we offer our members lots of opportunities to engage with our staff, partners and clients. Please come and see us! 10

11 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 German Chamber of Commerce in China Mr. Stefan Rosenbohm Chairperson GCC South & Southwest China How would you summarize the year 2017 in a few key words? 2017 was again a successful year. The business environment in China allowed most of the German companies to achieve very positive results. But 2017 was also a year of a lot of challenges that might have significant impact in the future. The global political landscape is changing, leaving many questions: What will be the role of the United States in world politics? What will be the development of the European Union? What will Germany s new government look like and what will be its strategy towards China? In this environment the role of China is getting increasingly stronger. What developments in your region and in the Chamber have been the most successful this year? In our region, we can see the cutting edge technological development of China. From smart mobility using fully electrified busses, shared bikes to the spread of digital payment systems, new technologies are being adapted rapidly in South & Southwest China. As for the Chamber, I m delighted that we have now completed the setup of our team with our new Executive Chamber Manager und Regional Manager Shenzhen joining during the year. Furthermore, we have been following our strategy of establishing new event formats to cater the needs of our members. We had introduced our new flagship event Discover Germany in Guangzhou and Chengdu that aims at displaying German companies, products, and culture to a wider Chinese consumer audience. The everlasting hot topic of Human Resources we tackled by conducting our first HR Summit. And in order to keep our members moving and in shape, we had introduced a German Chamber Football Tournament. The city also titled Silicon Valley of China becomes an increasingly important location for innovation. German companies should closely watch the developments in Shenzhen. To support our member companies with technology scouting and other innovation related services, we are enlarging our Shenzhen office in What are your expectations for 2018? Even though German companies in South & Southwest China are performing very well business-wise, they feel that the business environment gets increasingly complex. To understand this complexity, following the changes and new regulations in China will become increasingly important. The Chamber should play an important part here bringing together information and people for implementation strategies. Internally, we will finally introduce an official German Chamber Wechat account. At the same time, an implementation of a new CRM system will make it easier for us to improve the membership and event management and thus also easier for our members to receive information, sign up for events and arrange payment online. Your personal remarks for our Chamber members I would like to thank all members for their support of the German Chamber. We are always grateful for feedback that will help us to improve or services and activities. A chamber is always only the platform. Without the contribution of our members it would be impossible to achieve this high level of quality in our events and activities. Have there been any new challenges and opportunities? One of the challenges in 2017 was to localize the leadership of our Chengdu office. Since the majority of German companies in Southwest China are headed by Chinese citizens the move proved to be successful and we were able to widen our network in the region. Opportunities are on the horizon in Shenzhen. 11

12 German Chamber of Commerce in China CHAMBER BOARDS AND CHAMBER TEAMS North China Mr. Lothar Herrmann* Chairperson Siemens Greater China CEO Siemens Ltd., China President and CEO Mr. Jörg Höhn (until 10/2017) German Centre for Industry and Trade Beijing Co. Ltd. Managing Director Ms. Björn Lindemann Haver Technologies Tianjin General Manager Ms. Alexandra Voss* GCC North China Executive Director Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Beijing Delegate and Chief Representative Mr. Christoph Kaiser Vice Chairperson Turck (Tianjin) Technology Co. Ltd. Managing Director Mr. Daniel Albrecht (since 10/2017) Starke Consulting Co. Ltd. Managing Counsel Mr. Olaf Kastner BMW Group Region China President and CEO Ms. Susanne Rademacher Beiten Burkhardt Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbh Partner and Chief Representative Beijing Mr. Feng Xingliang Treasurer NRW Invest China/Beijing Chief Representative Mr. Jörg Müller Volkswagen Group China Executive Vice President Beijing Office Mr. Sebastian Suciu Executive Chamber Manager Ms. Cuiyun Qi Project Manager Membership Administration *GCC All-China Board Member Ms. Jana Kumpf Deputy Chamber Manager Tianjin Office Shenyang Office Ms. Jessica Huang Events Manager Ms. Xiaolei Zhang Regional Manager Tianjin Mr. Jan Carl Block Regional Manager Shenyang Ms. Johanna Heinzmann Project Manager bj.china.ahk.de Ms. Tong Shan Project Manager Tianjin Mr. Ge Wu Project Manager Liaoning & Jilin

13 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin* Chairperson Asia Freudenberg Group Regional Representative Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Managing Director Mr. Steffan Huber Treasurer Greater China, Covestro Polymers (China) Co., Ltd Senior Representative Mr. Marcus Wassmuth Corporate & Investment Banking UniCredit S.p.A Chief Representative Ms. Simone Pohl* GCC Shanghai Executive Director Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Shanghai Delegate and Chief Representative Mr. Lothar Grad Vice-Chairman (since 11/2017) Alfmeier Automotive Systems (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Executive Vice President Automotive Asia Mr. Sven Becher (since 11/2017) P3 Technical and Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Managing Director Mr. Rolf H. Koehler Fiducia Management Consultants (Shanghai) Ltd Advisory Director Ms. Brigitte Wolff EIM Executive Interim Management China Ltd. President Mr. Alexander Seitz Vice-Chairman and member of the board (until 10/2017) SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd First Vice President & Commercial Executive Vice President Mr. Michael Maeder Ward Howell International, Direct HR, Hidden Champion, IOTOne.com Co-Founder, Managing Director * GCC All-China Board Member Dr. Sigrid Winkler Executive Chamber Manager winkler.sigrid@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Ines Sieckmann Project Manager Social Responsibility Sieckmann.ines@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Jiaying Qi Junior Project Manager Events qi.jiaying@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Olivia Helvadjian Senior Communications Manager & Chief Editor helvadjian.olivia@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Johanna Spee Regional Manager spee.johanna@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Daisy Zhu Manager Business Development & Membership zhu.jingjing@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Jessica Downer Junior Editor downer.jessica@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Jing Qian Project Assistant Regions qian.jing@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Yan Chen Junior Project Manager Business Development & Membership chen.yan@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Josipa Markovic Economic Analyst markovic.josipa@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Jueye Liu Project Manager for Special Project of Chamber Affairs liu.jueye@sh.china.ahk.de Ms. Xiaolin Du Project Manager Membership du.xiaolin@sh.china.ahk.de 13

14 German Chamber of Commerce in China South & Southwest China Mr. Stefan Rosenbohm* Chairperson Hamanu (Shenzhen) Trade Co. Ltd. General Manager Dr. Wolfgang Beuck (Until 5/2017) Brose Chongqing Automotive Systems Co. Ltd. General Manager Mr. Rüdiger W. Kümmerle Lenzkes Clamping Tools (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. CEO Mr. Jens Hildebrandt* GCC South & Southwest China Executive Director Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Guangzhou Delegate and Chief Representative Mr. Gerd Kaarow (Since 5/2017) Metz Connect Zhongshan Ltd. General Manager Greater China Mr. Tim Leitschuh Bock China Ltd. General Manager Mr. Ulf Reinhardt Treasurer, ARC Pacific Chairman Foshan ARC Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd. General Manager Ms. Jana Karow Brema Marketing GmbH & Co. KG Representative Office Guangzhou Chief Representative *GCC All-China Board Member Mr. Marc Piesbergen Executive Chamber Manager +86 (0) Ms. Lydia Schulz Regional Manager Shenzhen + 86 (0) schulz.lydia@gz.china.ahk.de Mr. Xiaofei Wen Regional Manager Sichuan-Chongqing +86 (0) wen.jfay@gz.ahk.de Ms. Vanice Du Membership & Events Manager Ext. 217 du.vanice@gz.china.ahk.de Ms. Suzanne Su Project Manager Events Shenzhen +86 (0) su.suzanne@gz.china.ahk.de 14

15 MEMBERSHIP The German Chamber of Commerce in China aims to provide valuable firsthand information as well as benefits to support and expand the business of our member companies. With 2,371 members across China the German Chamber of Commerce is a trustworthy and reliable partner for German companies operating in China. Our long-term as well as our newer members contribute greatly to the success of the GCC. 15

16 Membership MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS Membership Development North China Members Shanghai Corporate Small Corporate Medium Corporate Large Private Member* Special Member Total Members Corporate Small Corporate Medium Corporate Large Private Member* Special Member Total South & Southwest China Members Corporate Small Corporate Medium Corporate Large Private Member* Special Member Total 16 * incl. Young Professionals

17 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Membership Regional Membership Distribution 2017 North China Beijing Tianjin Hebei Liaoning Jilin Shandong Others Shandong 13 Jilin 79 Liaoning 11 Hebei 80 Tianjin 24 Others 567 Jilin Total Beijing Beijing Shenyang Liaoning Shanghai Shanghai Taicang Suzhou Kunshan Zhejiang Shandong 9 12 Others Total Shandong 54 Kunshan 61 Zhejiang 84 Suzhou 208 Others Taicang Henan 1061 Shanghai Sichuan Hubei Chengdu Chongqing Hunan Guizhou Tianjin Hebei Shanxi Jinan Qingdao Shandong Jiangsu Kunshan Suzhou Anhui Taicang Zhejiang Jiangxi Fujian Shanghai 22 West-PRD 26 Southwest China 74 Shenzhen Region 12 Others 237 Yunnan 85 Guangzhou Region 18 Dongguan Guangxi West Pearl River Delta Guangzhou Foshan Dongguan Shenzhen South & Southwest China Guangzhou Region (Guangzhou, Foshan etc.) Dongguan Shenzhen Region (Shenzhen, Hong Kong etc.) Southwest China (Chengdu, Chongqing) West-PRD Others Total

18 Membership FINANCIALS Allocation of Expenses 2017 General Expenses and Administration ,25 Publications ,34 Events ,48 25% 5% 66% Other ,59 4% Total ,66 Revenue Distribution 2017 Publications ,37 Yearly Sponsorships ,59 Membership Fee ,88 11% 7% 44% Events ,14 36% Other ,68 Total ,66 2% 18

19 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Membership MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS AND SERVICES Membership Benefits Free delivery of the member magazine German Chamber Ticker and the possibility to publish member news in the magazine free of charge Free posting of your company details under the New Member s Ticker section of our website for three months Reduced member rates for our events in North China, Shanghai and the neighboring provinces as well as South & Southwest China Reduced member rates for training courses offered by the GIC training departments Up to 10% discount for advertisement in the German Chamber Ticker magazine Up to 35% discount for advertisement on the AHK Greater China homepage and online job market postings Access to our benefit program "GC Deals" that grants discounted rates when you present your membership card at partner hotels, restaurants, hospitals etc. all over China Advantages for German Business Visa Applications Services for Members Events The German Chamber of Commerce in China hosts a huge variety of business and social events every year to provide our members with the opportunity to meet potential business partners and to exchange first-hand professional information. Our focus is on seminars, roundtables, chamber meetings and conferences as well as networking and other social events. German Chamber members benefit from discounts at these various Chamber events. Using the new tool Eventbank will help to give interested parties the opportunity to get more information on speakers, location and agenda as well as the option to register online. Membership Card & GC DEALS Our Benefit Program GC Deals provides membership card holders with discounts of at least 10% at many hotels, restaurants, hospitals and other businesses across mainland China. Newsletter & Mailings The regular Newsletter of the GCC provides its members with the latest news about the Chamber, its partners and the market. In addition, regular mailings update the recipients with an event guide for the region. NORTH CHINA 2018 Firmenname German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai Mr. Xyz Mustermann MEMBERSHIP NO. SH 1234 MEMBERSHIP TYPE MEDIUM CORPORATE VALID UNTIL FEB SHANGHAI 2018 Firmenname German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai Mr. Xyz Mustermann MEMBERSHIP NO. SH 1234 MEMBERSHIP TYPE MEDIUM CORPORATE VALID UNTIL FEB Visa Benefits Chamber members enjoy advantages in German business visa application for Chinese employees. Surveys Preferential access to the results of our annual surveys: Our business confidence survey, wage & salary survey and the innovation survey of the Greater Shanghai region. Homepage ( Counting 60,000 visits and around 80,000 page views per month, our homepage is the largest Sino-German online business platform. It offers up-to-date market information and facts about the membership as well as events in the Greater China region. Furthermore, it provides access to our publications. In addition, the website functions as an extensive database delivering information about German companies and China s investment zones. In 2018, our new homepage will be launched with a responsive web design to increase the accessibility on mobile devices, an improved navigation and user-friendliness as well as the opportunity to register for events. Job Market ( DE Job Market Platform is an efficient source for domestic as well as international talent and the preeminent platform for reaching professionals with a German background. More than 2,000 companies have successfully utilized the DE Job Market to fill permanent or temporary (internship) occupational vacancies efficiently. Furthermore, more than 13,000 professional candidates are registered in the resume database of the platform. German Chamber members benefit from reduced rates for job advertisements. 19

20 Membership NEW MEMBERSHIP FEES FOR 2018 NEW MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE 2018 Corporate Member "Large" For companies with more than 1,000 employees in their legal business entity in China Membership benefits for all employees of the business entity 20 membership cards RMB 11,500 annual fee Corporate Member "Medium" For companies with 251 to 1,000 employees in their legal business entity in China Membership benefits for all employees of the business entity 15 membership cards RMB 7,500 annual fee Corporate Member "Small" For companies with 11 to 250 employees in their legal business entity in China Membership benefits for all employees of the business entity 10 membership cards RMB 4,800 annual fee Corporate Member "Micro" (new in 2018) For companies with up to 10 employees in their legal business entity in China Membership benefits for all employees of the business entity Membership cards equals to the number of employees, up to10 cards RMB 4,000 annual fee Private Member* Young Professionals** Individual membership for non-chinese citizen Private member over 30 years old* Private member under 30 years old** RMB 1,800 annual fee for private member RMB 1,300 annual fee for young professional As our member you can bring the awareness of your brand to the next level and make your company visible to the large German business community by becoming a member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China. YOU CAN ENJOY EXCLUSIVE ACCESS OR MEMBER PRICE FOR THE KEY BENEFITS BELOW* Stay Connected Stay Visible Stay Efficient Stay Informed German Ball Business Events Workshop Series Social Events CSR: More than a Market Access to Directories Summits & Forums Roundtable Events Sponsorship Opportunities Member News New Members List Advertisement Opportunities Profile in Directories Profile in Publications Website Relaunch New in 2018 Online German Business Directory New in 2018 Fast Track for Visa to Germany Online Job Market Corporate Design Services Website Setup and Hosting German Pavilion at Trade Fairs Job Fairs Credit Reports Marketing Reports Event Registration Tool New Annual Surveys Benefit Program-GC Deals Newsletter Press Monitoring Training Programs Business Magazine (German Chamber Ticker) Economic Outlooks WeChat Platform New in 2018 * Membership benefits may vary slightly throughout the regions Contact Person for Membership and Marketing: Shanghai Ms. Daisy Zhu Manager Business Development Tel ext zhu.jingjing@sh.china.ahk.de North Ms. Jana Kumpf Deputy Chamber Manager Tel kumpf.jana@bj.china.ahk.de 20 South & Southwest Ms. Vanice Du Membership & Events Manager Tel ext. 217 du.vanice@gz.china.ahk.de

21 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 GCC in the Press PUBLICATIONS German Chamber Ticker German Chamber Ticker is the free quarterly business magazine published by the German Chamber of Commerce in mainland China. Its cover stories and business articles explore current economic and social topics and trends and provide a deeper look into German key industries in China. German Chamber Ticker features interviews with high-ranking business professionals and reveals the latest news about the German and international business community in mainland China. Regular economic updates inform about market developments and trends in the region. The magazine is distributed to all members and partners of the German Chamber of Commerce in China and is available online on Distribution Our main distribution channel is direct mailing to senior executives and decision makers with 6,300 mailed copies across China. Around 4,000 copies are additionally displayed at Chamber event venues and key locations throughout North China, Shanghai & Neighboring Provinces and South & Southwest China on a regular basis. Furthermore, around 6,000 of each German Chamber Ticker issue can be found on Lufthansa flights from China to Germany. Readership With a total circulation of its printed version of around 16,500 copies as well as the frequent monthly downloads of its online version, each issue reaches over 26,000 readers. 21

22 GCC Surveys GCC IN THE PRESS Extensive press work is one of the German Chamber of Commerce s methods to advocate the interests of German business in China. We put effort into increasing awareness of Chamber s activities, support our members in the development of their businesses and to help reveal challenges and concerns of German enterprises in China and further fostering a positive image of German companies in China. Last year was marked by a number of important events. With a majestic evening gala attended by about 200 exclusively invited guests, the AHK Greater China Beijing celebrated its 20-Year Anniversary, on the 26 th October Then in November, the 19 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping presented China's road map for future development. Also in November the German Chamber of Commerce presented the findings of its yearly Business Confidence Survey to journalists at press conferences in Beijing and Shanghai. The survey is one of the most relevant tools we use to examine the pressing concerns of German enterprises in China, which we communicate to stakeholders and the media. As every year, the outcome of the survey was highly anticipated and well received. In 2017, we once again successfully leveraged local and international media in order to increase and strengthen the public voice of German business in China. During 2017 we generated more than 200 pieces of news about Sino-German events and their impact on the economic relationship between the two countries that were published and broadcasted on international and local media platforms. We will continue spreading key messages for maximum impact within the media also in 2018! 22

23 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 GCC Surveys GCC SURVEYS In 2017, the German Chamber of Commerce in China conducted several targeted surveys among members to offer an up-to-date assessment of the current business climate for German enterprises in China. Thanks to the active participation of our members, the annual Labor Market & Salary Report, Business Confidence Survey and for the first time the Innovation Survey of the Greater Shanghai Region were published, widely quoted in the press, distributed to key stakeholders and introduced at a series of events across China. 23

24 GCC Surveys BUSINESS CONFIDENCE SURVEY 2017/2018 The full report is available for download from our website The German Chamber of Commerce in China s annual Business Confidence Survey is a key gauge for measuring the business sentiment of German companies operating in China. This year s survey was conducted between 21 st August and 29 th September 2017 and collected 423 responses from member companies. The representative sample allows for a comprehensive overview on developments and business sentiments of German companies in China. Economic and Business Outlook German companies economic outlook has recovered from the low forecasted in Especially machinery/industrial equipment, as the largest German industry in China, evaluates 2017 as positive for the own industry and significantly better than the previous year. This is in line with a positive development of China s machinery industry in 2017 and also with a steep rise of German machinery exports to China. Automotive and business services keep up the previous year s level with optimism for Nearly two thirds of German companies in China expect to exceed or achieve their business targets in % of the companies expect their turnover to increase in However, companies remain cautious regarding investment and employment. Business Challenges Finding and retaining qualified staff as well as increasing labor costs have consistently been among the Top 5 challenges. Nearly four out of five companies find these issues to be a problem or a major problem. Two thirds of the respondents struggle with slow cross-border internet speed and internet access restrictions a significant increase compared to previous years. German companies also report a great deal of uncertainty regarding the new Cybersecurity Law: one in three companies is unsure about the impact on their Please evaluate your current business challenges.* 79.1% Finding qualified staff 78.1% Increasing labor costs 67.2% Slow cross-border internet speed 65.8% Retaining qualified staff 64.7% Internet access restrictions 61.5% Domestic competition 56.6% Preferential treatment of local companies/protectionism 55.7% Protection of intellectual property 54.6% Bureaucracy/Administrative hurdles 54.5% Legal uncertainty and unclear regulatory frameworks * Share of respondents regarding each item as a problem or major problem. Arrows refer to changes compared to 2016 ranking. business activities in China. Before taking effect on 1 st June 2017, the law was widely anticipated among German companies along with concerns about possible implications for business activities. Domestic competition ranks 6 th among the business challenges which is underlined by the increasing innovation capacity of Chinese companies. More than 40% of respondents expect Chinese competitors to become innovation leaders within five years. For the first time, this share is higher than the share of respondents who think this scenario is unlikely. Investment Prospects A quarter of German companies in China plans to invest at new locations within the next two years, with Jiangsu, Guangdong and Sichuan/Chongqing as the most frequently named locations. However, the share of those not planning investment at new locations has reached more than half. The main sources of financing are reinvestments of earnings from the Chinese market. Of new investments in 2018, more than half will be in new manufacturing facilities as well as in staff development and training. While market growth expectations and strategic business considerations are key reasons to not invest, one in four companies names regulatory reasons for not increasing investment. More than half of German companies have little or no confidence regarding the further opening of China s market, while over 40% feel optimistic about the opening up in the medium term. The State Council s Document No. 5 which was published in January 2017 is not very well-known given that it is one of the major recent documents introducing reform measures to further promote foreign investment. In August 2017, the State Council s Document No. 39 introduced further measures to facilitate foreign investment. Belt and Road Initiative An extra part to the survey contains an assessment of German companies views of and engagement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), along with a closer look at projects as well as benefits and challenges. More than one third see a positive effect of BRI on their future business, while more than half of respondents report no significant effect or no opinion about BRI. 30% of German companies are active in or considering to engage in BRI projects. For those who are not, a low relevance to their own industry or business model is the most frequently stated reason to not engage, followed by a lack of suitable projects and insufficient information. German companies involvement in BRI covers a broad range of areas, with automotive, construction and logistics together accounting for more than 50%. 24

25 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 GCC Surveys LABOR MARKET & SALARY REPORT 2017/2018 The full report is available for download from our website This report was conducted in partnership with Further Downturn in Wage Growth at German Companies in China Expected wage growth at German companies in China continues to slow down. German companies in China expect to increase wages in 2018 by an average of 5.90%, 0.33 percentage points (p.p.) down compared to last year, showing the lowest growth expectations since the Chamber started collecting data at China level in However, it should be noted that this is the lowest year-on-year decrease since Expected Wage Growth Development at German Companies in China (%) Nominal Growth ,2 8,9 8,8 8, Because of the correlation between GDP and salary growth rates, the lower decrease of wage growth rates might indicate an expectation of a more moderate decrease of economic growth. While the evolution of wage increases in German companies follows a similar pattern as the wage increases on a national level, wage growth is higher in the latter (on average 1.7 p.p. higher since 2012), partially due the fact that wages at German companies are already at a considerably higher level. GDP, Consumer Price Index and Wage Growth (%) GDP Growth NBS Average Wage Growth Inflation 7,1 6,23 5, AHK SURVEY 15% 10% 5% Wage Growth Indicators (%) Minimum Wage Growth Wage Guidelines NBS Average Wage Growth % 17,5% higher than average expected increase in the previous edition. In particular, companies with less than 50 employees expect to put forward an increase of 5.74% 0.78 p.p. below last year s figure. By city tiers, there is a similar pattern to last year s results, with tier-2 cities putting forward the highest wage increases (6.02%) and tier-3 cities presenting the lowest increase (5.74%). Narrowing gap between salaries and productivity When evaluating salaries while taking productivity and qualifications into account, 21.7% of respondents consider wages to be low whereas 28.9% of the companies surveyed consider salaries to be high. No significant changes in comparison with last year results in this regard at China level. Looking in more detail, at tier-1 locations i.e. the highest paying area 36.3% of respondents in Shanghai consider wages as high whereas Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Beijing show a lesser tendency to rate their compensation levels as high: 28.0%, 25.0% and 21.3%, respectively a particularly interesting pattern, given that wages (median value for total cost per employee) in Beijing are 1.17 times higher than those of Shanghai. However, as German companies continue to put forward lower wage increases, the gap between salaries and productivity narrows, 64.0% of the respondents declare productivity gains have been similar to wage increases (+15.5 p.p. over last year s), while 22.5% finds productivity gains did not make up for the wage increases, 6.3 p.p. down from last year s mark. 15% 12,5% 10% 7,5% The salary survey evaluates in detail how wage increases in specific functions and regions contributed to the overall expected 5.90% wage increase, the key statements being the following: Only a few industries automotive, consulting/legal services, medical supplies and construction expect to put forward higher wage increases than the overall China average of 5.90%. By company size the slowdown in wage growth is most notable at smaller companies (less than 50 employees), balancing out a Productivity Increase Compared to Wage Increases 64,0 48,5 28,8 22,5 22,6 13,4 Lower Similar Higher

26 GCC Surveys INNOVATION SURVEY 2017 The full report is available for download from our website This report was conducted in partnership with With more than 5,000 German companies active in China for decades, China s focus on innovation offers untapped potential for Sino-German cooperation but also, naturally, for competition. Beyond buzzwords such as Industry 4.0 and Made in China 2025, the German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, in cooperation with Tongji University and goetzpartners Management Consultants, decided to shed light on how German companies are coping in the Chinese innovation ecosystem and how they are measuring up with their Chinese counterparts in other words, to what extent are German businesses in China ready to innovate with, for and in China? Innovation a top priority and growth driver for German companies Within the next three years, over 80% of surveyed companies expect an increase in their innovation output. 67% of German manufacturing companies in China see innovation as one of the top three priorities for their business activities in the Chinese market. Meeting customer needs, differentiating from competitors, as well as attracting new customers are the main reasons for enhanced innovation activities. However, only 41% of companies have a well-defined innovation strategy. Besides human resources, IP concerns are among the main barriers to innovation Human resources (59%) and IP concerns (46%) were identified as the top two barriers to innovation among surveyed companies. The protection of intellectual property (IP) rights is the second most important concern, and impacts how German companies are tapping into local know-how: While almost half of surveyed companies could imagine acquiring a local company to drive innovation, merging is a less attractive option, potentially due to the legal uncertainty surrounding unwanted technology transfers. Beyond these two major concerns the third largest barrier perceived by companies might also be the most surprising: Influence from headquarters in Germany is identified as a significant barrier to innovation, with 71% of respondents indicating it to be a barrier to a very large, large or moderate extent. Only 14% do not perceive headquarter influence as an impediment to innovation. Headquarter influence as a barrier to innovation may be rooted in a lack of autonomy for the China-based subsidiary. When it comes to market and product range decisions, 33% and 42% of surveyed companies respectively report to have relatively little autonomy. Around 20% of respondents claim to have high autonomy, i.e. freedom to make decisions about the market they serve and the product range they supply without consulting with headquarters. These companies also show higher innovativeness than their less autonomous peers. 26 To what extent are the following issues barriers to innovation for you in China? Human resources 19% 40% 30% 11% IP concerns 14% 32% 29% 18% Headquarter influence 13% 24% 34% 14% Lack of market insight 6% 21% 31% 28% Lack of suitable external partners 4% 18% 32% 32% Economic turbulence 4% 17% 32% 28% Financial resources 6% 11% 32% 36% Insufficient government support 2% 9% 30% 32% Very large extent Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all Inspired by the Chinese model, German companies shift from product to business model innovation The increasingly more innovative Chinese approach to business has led to a transformation of China s competition strategy rather than competing on costs, Chinese companies are disrupting markets by focusing their efforts on business model innovation. This trend impacts German Companies in China: Within the next three years, companies are expected to shift from product to business model innovation. While most companies still limit their R&D activities to Global-to-Local/Localto-Local innovation, Local-to-Global innovation could be the next strategic priority for companies a quarter of companies already engages in relevant research. In order to drive innovation further, significantly more firms intend to collaborate with start-ups and competitors over the next three years. German companies need an innovation ecosystem to thrive Looking beyond the data, to truly flourish, innovative companies in China- need to be placed in a wide-ranging innovation ecosystem that supports innovation in all its forms. An innovation ecosystem necessitates structural and institutional support through reliable cross-border internet services and quick data transfers as well as through companies, research organizations, universities, start-ups, investment funds or government grants, and an innovation culture that fosters respect for intellectual property and promotes cooperation and skills critical for innovative thinking.

27 CHAMBER ACTIVITIES IN SHANGHAI AND THE NEIGHBORING PROVINCES The German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai offers its members a wide range of business and social events. Be it workshops, seminars, working group meetings or networking events, we take pride in offering tailor-made events to meet and exceed our members expectations.

28 German Chamber of Commerce in China The German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai aims to provide its members with up-to-date information about doing business in China and a platform to network and exchange with peers. To achieve this, the Chamber organizes a wide variety of business and social events. In 2017, the Chamber carried out 189 events in total in the eastern China region, including Shanghai, the provinces Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shandong, specifically the cities Taicang, Suzhou, Kunshan, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Qingdao. The activities consisted of workshops, working groups, roundtables, seminars and social and networking events. Workshops and working groups focused on German key industries, such as automotive and machine as well as on core corporate functions, e.g. human resources, production or marketing, offering valuable input by experienced experts and the possibility for exchange about best practices and new developments, while excursions to member companies sites gave an insight on-site operations. As cyber security and HR challenges were topics of special interest for members in 2017, the Chamber launched members-only roundtables on these topics. Full-day and half-day conferences held by the Chamber included the first Industrie 4.0 Forum in Shanghai and the 5 th Sino-German Controlling Forum in Suzhou. Chamber meetings, traditionally held on the last Thursday of every month, continued to provide the successful mix of valuable high-level speakers and excellent networking opportunities. Social events included the Summer and Winter Inter-Chamber mixers, the asparagus dinner in Spring and the Welcome Back Party in September, and of course the famous German Ball, which celebrated this year its 20 th anniversary under the motto The Golden Twenties. More than 1,200 guests gathered in the iconic Jin Mao tower for a night of entertainment, live music and dancing. The three monthly held Stammtische, a casual meetup to connect with new people with similar backgrounds over a drink, continued to attract German business professionals, young professionals and Chinese alumni from German universities alike. Lastly, the More than a Market initiative, initiated by the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai together with Bertelsmann Stiftung and supported by the German Consulate General in Shanghai, has expanded and grown in 2017 to an all China initiative. In May 2017, the second More than a Market Awards were given out to German companies for outstanding projects on social responsibility. 28

29 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities OVERVIEW OF ALL EVENTS 2017 Shanghai Workshops Special Events (incl. Job Fair and HR Summit) Chamber Meetings Roundtables Social Events Stammtische General Meeting Extraordinary General Meeting German Ball Shanghai Total Taicang Working Groups Workshops Special Events In-house Trainings Stammtische and Social Events Suzhou Workshops Social Events Special Events Stammtische Hangzhou Workshops Roundtable Stammtische Kunshan Working Groups Roundtables 2 40 Business Events (Workshop, Seminars, etc) Changzhou Business Events (Workshop, Seminars, etc) Nanjing Workshops Special Events 2 50 Roundtable Stammtische Ningbo Business Events Wuxi Workshops Special Events 2 46 Provinces Total Total

30 German Chamber of Commerce in China CHAMBER MEETINGS SHANGHAI The Chamber Meetings are the monthly held flagship event of the German Chamber of Commerce. Traditionally held at the last Thursday of the month in different five-star hotels in Shanghai, the meetings draw over 150 participants. The board of the German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai chooses renowned experts and a topic of interest for the German business community in Shanghai for each Chamber evening. Thus, guests can get first-hand insights about important business topics from leaders in industry, business, politics and diplomacy in the form of a keynote speech or a panel discussion, while also enjoying a fivestar dinner buffet. Furthermore, the meetings offer an excellent networking platform: New members have the opportunity to present themselves and their businesses on stage and everyone can get in touch with other businesses and expand their own network during dinner. These networking opportunities not only include the German business community, but also many international guests, who regularly attend the Chamber meetings. January 2017 Deutschland und China 2017 Gemeinsam in einer Zeitwende? (Held in German) With Mr. Peter Rothen Consul General for the Republic of Germany in Shanghai GERMAN CONSUL GENERAL At the first Chamber Meeting of 2017, where traditionally the Consul General of the Republic of Germany in Shanghai speaks, Mr. Peter Rothen, outlined the political developments that he foresaw for 2017 and their possible impact on Sino-German relations. Although populistic and nationalistic forces seem to be on a rise in the West, Mr. Rothen was convinced that Sino-German relations remain solid and strong. However, he predicted that the economic relations between Germany and China will undergo a transformation in China has not only become a substantial competitor in many aspects, it has also shifted to an export-oriented economy. Mr. Rothen also addressed the issue of reciprocity and level playing field regarding market access for German and Chinese companies. He concluded, however, that decades of trust and friendship shape the relationship between China and Germany, leading to a continued close and fruitful collaboration. Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Location: InterContinental Pudong 30

31 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities February 2017 Strategy 2025 Megatrends of the Future (Held in English) With Mr. Karel Eloot Senior Partner, McKinsey; Mr. Clas Neumann Senior Vice President, SAP China; Dr. Yilin Zhang CEO, Schaeffler Greater China; Mr. Wei Zhou Founder and CEO, The Xnode INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS The February Chamber Meeting was held as a panel discussion on the topic of Future Megatrends in China. First, Mr. Karel Eloot gave an introductory speech in which he presented four disruptive forces that are breaking the trends and outlined their impact on China. He explained that whether it is the industrialization and urbanization of emerging countries, disruptive technologies, an aging world or greater global interconnections, every force has its own challenges and opportunities. In the following panel discussion Dr. Zhang explained that climate change has the most impact on his business, since there is a clear trend towards electrification, autonomous driving and sharing economy. While Mr. Eloot pointed out that it is not sufficient anymore to just have a framework or provide ideas, but that the future will be more asset-based consulting, Mr. Neumann stated that there is no industry that is not affected by technological improvements, since machines are taking over more and more. The last panelist Mr. Zhou was able to give an insight on the topic from a start-up s perspective. He indicated that start-ups like his firm will definitely play an important role in the future, being one of the main disruptive forces together with corporate companies. Although, in the end every panelist agreed that Germany s industries are well prepared for those upcoming megatrends, it is still important to be on the ground in China to fully understand the opportunities and challenges, since megatrends develop differently in scale and speed in each country. Before the audience had the chance to raise questions, participants were able to share their views on megatrends in discussions over dinner. This was the first time an interactive part was introduced where every table was assigned with an industry sector or a specific subject and a corresponding question to which the guests were encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas. Moderator: Ms. Brigitte Wolff Member of the Board German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai; President, EIM Executive Interim Management China Ltd.; Mr. Michael Maeder Member of the Board German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai; Managing Partner, Ward Howell International. Location: Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai March 2017 China und Deutschland: Handelspartner und Konkurrenten (Held in German) With Mr. Jürgen Kerner Board Member and Chief Cashier of IG Metall INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS For its third Chamber Meeting, the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai welcomed Mr. Jürgen Kerner, Board Member and Chief Cashier of IG Metall, the largest industrial union in Europe mainly focusing on improving living and working conditions of employees as well as job preservation. He stated that the collaboration between his union and the Chinese union ACGB has always been challenging since both systems are very different from each other, however it is still necessary to be in an active dialogue and to ensure a level-playing-field for all participants. Mr. Kerner also referred to the increase in direct investments by Chinese companies into Europe and especially in Germany. He emphasized that Chinese investments are more than welcome, if they bring safe employment and preserve or even expand business locations in Germany. He however also expressed concern about the possible macroeconomic consequences if important elements of the value-added chain could be shifted away from Germany. The Chamber Meeting was closed by a Q&A session where the audience was particularly interested in foreign investment trends in Germany. Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.. Location: Shanghai Tower 31

32 German Chamber of Commerce in China April 2017 China und Deutschland: Wachsende Schnittmengen in Politik und Wirtschaft? (Held in German) With Mr. Michael Clauß Ambassador of Germany to China AMBASSADOR OF GERMANY Mr. Michael Clauß, the Ambassador of Germany to China, joined the Chamber Meeting in April as an honorary guest and keynote speaker. In his speech, the ambassador mainly focused on the increasing convergence between Germany and China. China has not only become Germany s biggest trading partner last year, but also shares the same interests as Germany in many different aspects such as a strong WTO and globalization. As a consequence, China-German intersections are growing regarding foreign affairs and economy. Although the Sino-German relationship is developing from a complementary into a more competitive one, this convergence comprises a great growth potential, provided there was improvement in market access for German companies in China and movement towards a more level playing field for German investors, Ambassador Clauß concluded. In the following Q&A session the audience raised questions concerning the level playing field for German companies in China and the bilateral agreement on investment as well as the risks and opportunities in Sino-German cooperation. Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Location: Grand Hyatt, Shanghai Jin Mao Tower May 2017 Cases & Experience on Managing Education Opportunities for a Changing Working Environment (Held in English) INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS With Prof. Dr.-Ing. Katja Windt President at Jacobs University, Member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Post AG, Member of the Executive Board of the German Logistics Association BVL, Member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering acatech; Dr. Ardin Djalali Director MBA & International Programs SIBE of the Steinbeis University Berlin Prof. Dr.-Ing. Katja Windt, President at Jacobs University in Bremen, and Dr. Ardin Djalali, Director MBA & International Programs SIBE of the Steinbeis University Berlin, joined our Chamber Meeting in May to discuss about managing education opportunities for a changing working environment. As an expert who has rich project experience in both education and industry sector, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Windt shared her insights into how universities can ensure employability of their students by adjusting future-oriented education. Using the example of Jacobs University, she explained how to implement change and how to integrate digital transformation into a company. Following Prof. Dr.-Ing. Windt s presentation, Dr. Djalali joined her on stage for a panel discussion. He proposed to implement the dual education concept on an academic level in Germany and China, since the classic apprenticeship has lost in value. Discussion touched also upon Chinese students studying abroad, who mostly return to China after graduation, which Prof. Dr.-Ing. Windt described as a positive trend for SMEs in China. For the future, both panelists were optimistic that the education sector will connect more directly to company s needs and that the new generation will benefit from new tools available. Moderator: Mr. Lothar Grad Executive Vice President Automotive Asia, Alfmeier Automotive System; Member of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai. Location: InterContinental Pudong 32

33 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities June 2017 Second More than a Market Forum and Awards Gala (Held in English) With Liz Mohn Vice-Chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board; Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai; Yue-Sai Kan TV personality, Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author and Philanthropist June s Chamber Meeting hosted the second More than a Market Forum and Awards Gala. The More than a Market initiative has been jointly initiated by Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Chamber of Commerce in 2015 with support of the Consulate General and is aimed to support and promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of German companies in China. The initiative s goal is to increase the visibility of German companies August 2017 social engagement and to provide a platform for sharing CSR ideas. The event started off with a forum in the afternoon, offering various workshops focusing on topics, such as CSR, inclusion and sustainability. After the workshops a panel discussion about the topic Global Compact A Model for China Commitment! took place. At the evening s Gala, the winners were announced. Liz Mohn, Vice-Chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board and Yue-Sai Kan, TV personality, entrepreneur, bestselling author and philanthropist held encouraging keynote speeches that emphasized the impact of CSR on society and the workforce and shone a light on the development in China. The winners of this year s More than a Market Awards were: rose plastic (Kunshan), Lanxess, SAP Labs China, the Football Project Team, in this year s new category School projects, Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou), Freudenberg and Wacker Chemicals (China) were jointly awarded. The award ceremony was concluded with presenting Consul General Mr. Peter Roethen with the More than a Consul General Award to bid him farewell and thank him for his support and personal commitment during his years in Shanghai. Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Location: Kerry Hotel Pudong Whose Belt, and Which Road? (Held in English) With Ms. Mary Boyd Director, The Economist INTERNATIONAL EXPERT The Belt and Road Initiative China has brought many questions to the minds of business professionals in China since its launch. Therefore, the German Chamber of Commerce invited Ms. Mary Boyd Director, The Economist, who has extensive experience in China and on the topic of the Belt and Road Initiative to be the speaker of the August Chamber Meeting. After an introductory speech by Dr. Christine Althauser, the new Consul General of Germany, Ms. Boyd took over; She noted the significance of the timeline of the Initiative and shared her analysis about its history and how it gained interest throughout Chinese political entities. She then moved on to a more global view to show how the idea expanded throughout the world and how events such as the US withdrawal from TPP and the One Belt, One Road forum of 2017 strengthened the concept. She concluded that the Belt and Road projects partially still lack clarity and transparency, however will most likely generate more business opportunities in the future. Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Location: Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai 33

34 German Chamber of Commerce in China October 2017 Perspektiven nach der Wahl Forderungen und Einschätzungen der Deutschen Wirtschaft (Held in German) With Dr. Eric Schweitzer President of the DIHK (Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry) INTERNATIONAL EXPERT In light of the German elections for the Bundestag, held in October, the German Chamber of Commerce invited Dr. Eric Schweitzer, President of the DIHK (Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry), to speak with Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin, Chairwoman of the Board at German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai about the perspectives after the election and the demands of the German economy. Despite generally positive economic growth and job creation within Germany, Dr. Schweitzer pointed out three challenges the government should pay attention to: Alleviating the skill shortage, investing in infrastructure and reducing bureaucracy on which he elaborated in the discussion. They further talked about growing competition, the Belt and Road Initiative, European Investments in China and the role of the DIHK. The meeting ended with a Q&A session, in which the audience was mainly interested in hearing more about global politics and the image of the German automotive industry. Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen-Behanzin Chairwoman of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Location: Primus Hotel Hongqiao December 2017 Weihnachtskammertreffen 2017 Bringt Harmonie Frieden? (Held in German) With Dr. Michael Bauer Catholic Priest, Deutschsprachige Christliche Gemeinde Shanghai; Dr. Annette Mehlhorn Protestant Pastor, Deutschsprachige Christliche Gemeinde Shanghai CHRISTMAS MEETING The December Chamber meeting was as usual set in a festive Christmas atmosphere, with decorations and a traditional German Christmas menu. As last year, the choir of the German Christian Association in Shanghai (DCGS) contributed to the evening program with a great selection of German Christmas songs. Also, for the second year, the More than a Market Social Market Place was held in the foyer, where nine different social organizations presented themselves and their work. The first speeches of the evening were held by Mr. Tim Wenniges, Head of Office Shanghai, Konrad Adenauer Foundation and by Mr. Nadav Ben Simon, General Manager at Taicang Inclusion Factory. Mr. Wenniges presented the English-Chinese Business Ecology brochure Social Innovation in China: German Companies CSR and Local Initiatives. Mr. Ben Simon presented the work of Taicang Inclusion Factory and their plans to expand to other cities in China. After dinner, Dr. Michael Bauer, Catholic Priest of the DCGS and Dr. Annette Mehlhorn, protestant pastor, held an amusing speech together that covered the topic of harmony and peace, discussing the meaning of harmony and its relationship to peace. At the end of the evening, Dr. Sigrid Winkler presented a donation check of RMB 100,000 to Ms. Guesten from Pfrang foundation to support their work with underprivileged youth. Moderator: Mr. Marcus Wassmuth Member of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Head of Business Client Department at Unicredit S.p.A. Location: Grand Hyatt, Shanghai Jin Mao Tower 34

35 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities 35

36 German Chamber of Commerce in China WORKSHOPS SHANGHAI The German Chamber is proud to offer unique industry insights from the Sino-German business community with its workshop series. In order to cater to the diverse challenges and information needs of the members of the German Chamber, as many as fifteen different series have been successfully introduced. The German Chamber organizes approximately workshops per year in Shanghai and the neighboring provinces with over 2,200 participants in total. Drawing on its extensive network of German, Chinese and international experts, the Chamber hosts several workshop sessions each month on a wide range of topics. Each workshop s event agenda, including the topics and the speakers, is chosen in close consultation with workshop leaders who are themselves distinguished specialists in their respective fields and support the activities of the German Chamber by honorary appointment. Depending on the content and the target audience, workshop sessions are offered in English, German or Chinese language. Aside from gaining valuable insider knowledge from the speakers, participants are directly engaged with experts and peers via innovative workshop formats such as design thinking, discussion rounds and Q&A sessions. Workshops provide an excellent platform to network and meet people with similar interests. With the professional support of its venue and catering partners, the German Chamber provides a pleasant environment to foster the exchange of ideas and connections among the participants every workshop includes food and beverages, balancing business and pleasure. 36

37 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Automotive Workshop Leader Mr. Peter Bornschein General Manager China, Shanghai MSG Quality Management in Automotive Lessons Learned on Overcoming Quality Challenges in China 10 th May Speakers: Mr. Thomas Roesler Director Manufacturing Asia Pacific, Shanghai Formel D Technology and Engineering Co., Ltd.; Mr. Ralf Boehm Quality Director, Webasto Roof & Components China Digital Services in Automotive New Business Models 11 th July Speaker: Mr. Joseph Zheng Vice President, Head of Digital Services and Business Models BMW; Mr. Esteban Remecz CIO Asia-Pacific, ZF Friedrichshafen AG; Mr. Stephan Melzer CEO Minnosphere Innovation Lab, MSG About the workshop In 2017, we focused on the future of the automotive and on day to day problems in the industry. In our workshop on Digital Services, BMW, ZF and MSG gave us a glimpse of things to come and what future business models could look like. We also successfully tried a new venue with the BMW brand center in Pudong. In the workshop Quality Management, Webasto and Formel D gave us new insights and practical examples of how to tackle quality issues and what specific problems the Chinese environment poses. In 2018, we want to continue to further look into the future, as the automotive industry is going through tremendous changes. The main three drivers of change are the E-mobility, the advancement of autonomous driving technologies and connectivity the car becoming a smart phone on wheels. We will monitor the developments and highlight some of those topics in At the same time, we will continue to keep an eye on more mundane topics in supply chain, quality or similar. We thank all participants and speakers for 2017 and hope you continue to support us in our workshops. Also feel free to suggest a topic that you deem important for the industry and we will take that into consideration. I look forward to seeing you again in

38 German Chamber of Commerce in China Business and Society Workshop Leaders Mr. Rolf Koehler Advisory Director Fiducia Management Consultants (Shanghai) Ltd Ms. Magali Menant Co-Founder and Managing Partner Constellations (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Joint Chamber Workshop Business and Society: 12 th January Top 10 CSR Trends Perspective, Insights and Case Sharing About the workshop How can a German company build stronger bridges with Chinese society? And how can it become more socially and environmentally sustainable in its business practices in China? What is the latest best practice in this regard? Since its inception in 2013, the Business and Society workshop has provided a networking and learning opportunity to a community of companies and social organisations interested in sharing best practices related to social engagement and CSR, provided opportunities for match-making between these two sectors and the kicking-off of joint social engagement projects. The growing interest in such topics has finally led to the launching of the More than a Market initiative that promotes and rewards companies social far-sightedness and extra commitment. Since 2017, in line with this initiative, the business and society workshops aims to partner more regularly with other Chamber workshops in order to explore cross-fertilization and to diffuse aspects of socially and environmentally sustainable business practice throughout different processes and departments in your company. Moderators: Ms. Magali Menant Co-Founder and Managing Partner Constellations International; Mr. Rolf Koehler Member of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai; Mr. Hui Zhang Chair of the CSR Forum of the European Chamber; Speaker: Dr. Guo Peiyuan General Manager of SynTao and Chairman of SynTao Green Finance Network Thinking and WeQ for the Use of Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship In Corporation with Workshop Young Leaders 3 rd March Speakers: Prof. Ulrich Weinberg Head of the HPI School of Design Thinking; Prof. Lou Yongqi Dean, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University Social Innovation in China: German Companies CSR and Local Initiatives 4 th December Facilitator: Sun Haiyan, Co-founder and chief editor of Business Ecology Speakers: Mr. Rolf Koehler Member of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai; Marina Kalnitski Taicang Sino-German Handicapped Workshops; Wang Ying Co-founder, Shanghai Hand in Hand Life Care Development Center; Qiu Shuimiao Director of Liuhe Reading Service Center for Youngsters; Caroline Vaquette APAC Head Diversity and Inclusion & Corporate Citizenship at Henkel 38

39 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Construction and Building Operation Workshop Leader Joseph van der Elst Deputy Managing Director Energydesign (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. How to Deal with Factory Relocation Projects? 1 st June Speakers: Mr. Uwe Steffan Deputy GM, Pen Tsao Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry; Mr. Ralf Willecke VP Plant Engineering and Manager of Nanjing Branch, Consultancy IMIG China Industry Plant Visit Hazardous Waste Management by SITA Waste Services at Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) 29 th August Speaker: Mr. Thierry Beheregaray General Manager, Suez Recycling & Recovery Asia Incineration Business Unit The Climate Conference (COP23) and the New Emissions Trading System in China Updates on the Bonn Climate Conference, New Emissions Trading for China and Energy Savings for Companies 23 rd November Speakers: Mr. Joseph van der Elst Deputy Managing Director, Energydesign (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; Mr. Kristian Wilkening Project Director Capacity Building for the Establishment of Emissions Trading Schemes in China, GIZ About the workshop The Construction & Building Operation workshop associates construction and operational topics when thinking and discussing the building process. The workshop therefore aims at all member businesses that operate buildings in China to support them in dealing with building related issues. And to discuss methods and tools that were proven successful for other members in the Chinese context. My goal as workshop leader is to cover a diversity of topics while providing different points of view. The building is a complex object and therefore only transdisciplinary discussion can create sustainable and practical answers to workshop members questions. All building project stakeholders are represented from professional construction designers and project managers, contractors and specialized consultants, to building owners and operators. However, it is always the same line of topics that attracts the biggest audience: topics which address urgent issues for industrials such as factory relocation trends, due to recent regulatory drive in Shanghai. I plan to continue addressing recurring issues for members kicking-off or handling their construction projects, or who are looking to optimize the operations of their building. Beyond, I would like to continue to explore broader topics even if they tend to be less popular and extend the scale of study to neighborhoods or urban districts. A warm thank you to all participants in 2017, and looking forward to discussing with you again in

40 German Chamber of Commerce in China Controlling and Finance Workshop Leader Mr. Alexander Prautzsch Director Tax Services China Tax & Business Advisory Services PricewaterhouseCoopers Consultants (Shenzhen) Limited Managing Your Receivables in China How to Control Your Risk Position and How to Collect Your Money 28 th March Speakers: Mr. Hong Lin Country Manager, Atradius China; Mr. Tony Au Regional Head, Atradius Collections Safe Sourcing Protection Against Liability Risks and When Purchasing in China 19 th April Speakers: Mr. Peter Schulze COO Automotive Asia Pacific, TÜV-Nord; Mr. Philipp Senff Lawyer and Partner, CMS China Order to Cash How to Improve A/R Collection in Long-term Customer Relationships in China? 19 th September About the workshop The Workshop Controlling & Finance is a forum for executives in the finance department of German corporations of all sizes as well as professionals like accountants, bankers and advisors to share experiences and exchange views about subjects relevant to their daily practice in China. We have around three workshops per year with different focus topics, covering both current and evergreen topics of interest. Usually, two expert speakers with different backgrounds present, followed by a group discussion. The workshop is an open sharing platform for hot topics around finance & controlling in China, so our personal goal is to identify the right topics and speakers who can offer practical takeaways for the audience. The presentations at our workshops in 2017 were given by industry specialists and a lawyer. Both topics covered highly relevant areas in current Chinese business environment, namely compliance, liability and precautionary methods for China sourcing as well as managing invoice collection in a long-term customer relationship. We plan to be close to the needs of German corporates in China and offer hot discussion topics highly relevant to the daily practice of finance and management practitioners such as innovative finance tools and working capital optimization. Speaker: Mr. Chris Liu Finance Director, Bosch China 40

41 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Human Resources Workshop Leaders Mr. Joerg Heil General Manager hartung: consult Ms. Grace Wang Senior HR Manager METRO Group Buying (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. China Employment, Compliance and Visa Updates: Trends & Developments for th January About the workshop The HR workshop covers all kind of topics which are related to the management of employees. Typical areas of interest are employee retention, benefits and compensation, cultural aspects, training and career development or performance management. Although our participants mainly HR managers, directors and general managers are competing for the same group of resources, they also benefit most from an exchange among eachother. Our workshops depend on the active participation of its attendees and we are lucky to have a very active and loyal group of regular participants. This ensures that we have a comfortable and trustful atmosphere to discuss also more sensitive topics. Most workshops are in English, but we also very successfully run some selected workshops in Chinese. We encourage all members to contact us if they have topics which they would like to see covered in a future workshop or for which they are able to share their own experiences. For 2018, we have already planned a couple of interesting events and I hope that we get the same kind of active participants that we had in Speaker: Mr. Ralph Viggo Koppitz Rechtsanwalt (German-Attonrey-at-Law), Chief Representative/Partner, Taylor Wessing Shanghai Representative Office Implementing German HR Standards in China: Mission Impossible or Success Story? A Field Report with Exchange of Experiences Speakers: Mr. Stefan Goessl HR Manager China, Rödl & Partner China 16 th February The Art & Science of Strategic Advising 3 rd May Speaker: Ms. Karen Greenbaum President and CEO, Global Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) What Do Chinese Managers & Leaders Need to Climb the Corporate Career Ladder? 31 st October Speakers: Dr. Eveline Goodman Hedtke, MD at EforP International Shanghai Consulting Co. Ltd.; Mr. Min Hao Project Management Director, EDAG; Ms. Josie Liu Head of Global Supplier Development, SCHINDLER Corporate Culture Change in China 5 th December Speakers: Mr. Lawrence Awatar Founder and Managing Director, INNOVA Management Institute (Shanghai); Mr. Frank Fiebrandt Interim Manager; Mr. Manfred Hoefler Managing Partner, ICG Integrated Consulting Group; Mr. Istvan Kosztolanyi Managing Partner, ICG Integrated Consulting Group How to Build Globalization Competency for HR Professionals 19 th December Held in Chinese Speaker: Mr. Andy Wong Chief Strategy & Senior OD Consultant, ActiveX HR Services Co. Ltd. 41

42 German Chamber of Commerce in China Information Technology Workshop Leaders Dr. Johannes Hofberger Senior Consultant, BearingPoint (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd. Mr. Ahmet Tombul General Manager Vauman Information Technology Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd. Industrial IoT Testbed and Project Planning 22 nd March Speakers: Mr. Erik Walenza CEO, IoT ONE Inc.; Mr. Kapil Kane Director, at Intel Corporation The Cybersecurity Challenge New Legal Requirements, Policies and Best Practices (In Cooperation with Workshop Legal & Tax) 25 th April About the workshop The IT workshop presents an opportunity to discuss current trends, challenges and opportunities around information technology projects in China. Our aim is to bring a group of people with similar interests together to share and engage in all topics around IT and IT related areas. The target audiences are professionals working in IT and IT related areas: Business and IT representatives, CIO and IT Management representatives and finally C-Level and middle management of Business and IT. IT is playing an important role in companies operating in the Chinese market. It touches every division in a company and is a main a supporting function. But, IT is changing rapidly and disrupting established industries by questioning the current status and creating new business models and players. Our workshop covers both sides of IT. We started our first workshop in 2017 with an IoT related topic and had a joint-workshop with legal and tax a few months later. Everyone was talking about the upcoming cyber security law and we found the right speakers with plenty of experience in this field. Our third and last workshop covered a security topic. We believe that digitalization and Industry 4.0 will be dominating our workshop series in 2018, too. But there will be other interesting fields as well. We therefore invite all members to get in touch with us for future speakers and topics. Speakers: Mr. Philip Lazare Partner, Luther Shanghai Office; Mr. Joerg Heil Managing Director, hartung: consult Security-as-a-Service: The Gatekeeper for New Digital Business Models 17 th May Speaker: Mr. Oliver Winzenried CEO, Wibu-Systems 42

43 Taylor Wessing China Group Your legal experts for Sino-foreign business Taylor Wessing is a leading international law firm with over 1,200 lawyers at 33 offices across Asia, Europe, America and the Middle East. As a full-service international law firm, we support our clients with our market-leading expertise in the industries of tomorrow. For over two decades, we have been successfully advising European companies in relation to their business activities in China as well as Chinese entities investing in Europe and Asia. We are especially well-known for our services related to M&A, corporate establishment and restructuring projects as well as for our expertise in intellectual property strategies. Due to our experience of many years in China and close cooperation with Chinese and foreign lawyers in all relevant practice areas and industry groups, we are in the position to embrace all legal and strategic aspects of our clients business ventures. With our longstanding Sino-foreign experienced lawyers based in our China offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong as well as in our offices in Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Paris, London and Singapore, the Taylor Wessing China Group consists of more than 50 professionals able to seamlessly work across time zones and proficient to handle the most complex multijurisdictional transactions. Your contacts: Ralph Koppitz Shanghai T: E: r.koppitz@taylorwessing.com Christoph Hezel Peking T: E: c.hezel@taylorwessing.com Dr. Jakob Riemenschneider Hong Kong T: E: j.riemenschneider@taylorwessing.com Michael-Florian Ranft International Head of China Group München, Shanghai, Peking T: E: m.ranft@taylorwessing.com Europe Middle East Asia taylorwessing.com i i

44 German Chamber of Commerce in China Legal and Tax Workshop Leaders Mr. Roger Haynaly Partner Rödl & Partner China The Cybersecurity Challenge New legal requirements, policies and best practices (In Cooperation with Workshop IT) 25 th April Speakers: Mr. Philip Lazare Partner, Luther Shanghai Office ; Mr. Joerg Heil Managing Director, hartung: consult Security and Risk Management in China 8 th June Speaker: Mr. Ed Nichols Director, RMC Ms. Vivian Yao Partner Rödl & Partner China The Path of Compliance with the Cyber Security Law Speaker: Mr. Zhou Yang Partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm Practice on Outbound Payment: Non-Trade Overseas Payment 13 th June Held in Chinese 13 th July Held in Chinese Speakers: Ms. Beilun (Sarah) Zhou Head of Cash Management Product, Standard Chartered Bank; Ms. Yunlin Rong Associate Partner, Rödl & Partner China License Fee in Customs Valuation and Outlook to Customs Audit Focus th March Held in Chinese Commercial Anti-Bribery Risk Assessment Speaker: Ms. Frances Shen Boss & Young Attorneys- At-Law 16 th August Held in Chinese Speakers: Mr. Derek Lee Partner, Worldtrade Management Services, PwC; Mr. Alex Qian Senior Manager, Worldtrade Management Services, PwC Does China Remain Attractive for Foreign Investments? Speaker: Dr. Oliver Maaz GvW Graf von Westphalen New Regulations on TP Disclosure and Reporting in 2017 & Analysis on Hot Topics Speaker: Mr. Mark Ma Partner, Transfer Pricing, EY 23 rd March 18 th April Held in Chinese Relocation of Registered Addresses of Companies: Problems and Solutions Speaker: Mr. Peter Law Partner, Mazars Tax Digitalization in China Speaker: Mr. Martin Ng Managing Partner, WTS Greater China 6 th September 18 th October 19 th October Experience Sharing of the Implementation of Sino-Germany Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) Held in Chinese Speaker: Mr. Lynch Jiang Tax Partner, Deloitte China 44

45 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities About the workshop The workshop Legal & Tax provides first-hand information about business and tax related laws and regulations in China primarily in a cross-border context. In the wake of the rapidly changing legal and tax environment, the workshop focuses on hot topics and regular updates which are relevant to the members daily business, and serves as a platform to share experiences and best practices. A business is always prone to tax and legal risks. To manage these risks is the general setting for the workshop, in the past and in the future. Typical participants are finance officers of German invested companies as well as internal or external tax and legal counsels. Presentations are offered in English or Chinese language depending on the topic, on the speaker preference and on the audience envisaged. The esteemed speakers are all highly qualified and experienced, coming from consultancy, administration or industry was dominated by risk-oriented topics such as bribery and risk management as well as technology-related issues, e.g. cyber security and tax digitalization. For the 2018 workshop series, revolving updates on ongoing developments will be cornerstones. New and important laws and regulations that will be issued in 2018 and one or two events for a review of the past year and/ or outlook into the up-coming one will complement the agenda.

46 German Chamber of Commerce in China Machine Building and Plant Construction Workshop Leaders Dr. Michael Kroll General Manager Schenck Shanghai Machinery Co., Ltd. Business Unit Filling and Testing Systems Mr. Daniel Tweer General Manager Röesler Surface-tech (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch Digital Business Models for Engineering in China 12 th September Speaker: Mr. Georg Stieler Managing Director, Stieler Enterprise Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Smart Manufacturing How to Increase Productivity & Real-Time Transparency 27 th November About the workshop The primary aim of the workshop is to create a platform where current and future trends of the machine building and plant construction industry can be evaluated and discussed among representatives of relevant German companies active in China. That would include topics which are significant for companies producing in China as well as for those which import machines or components into China. Sensing big challenges for the German machine-building industry in China, our workshops addressed different approaches for achieving business success in China s New Normal. Our event agenda covered insights into new business models, implications of the cooling market environment, supplier cooperation and suitable marketing instruments. In 2017, the main focus was on the rising mega trend IoT 4.0 where two workshops took place Digital Business Models for Engineering in China and Smart Manufacturing How to Increase Productivity & Real-Time Transparency. Given the Made in China 2025 strategy announced by the Chinese government indicating China s ambitious plan to upgrade China s manufacturing by 2025, the workshop will also continue to address these topics with high priority in 2018 and will be focusing on the question if and how this strategic approach will affect foreign invested companies in China. Speaker: Mr. Bernd (Sunny) Michel CEO, FORCAM China 46

47 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Marketing and Sales Workshop Leaders Ms. Brigitte Wolff President EIM-Executive Interim Management China Mr. Bernd Pichler Chief Marketing Officer ICONIQ Motors China China s Media Landscape Know, Understand and Optimal Use 16 th March Speakers: Dr. Evelyn Engesser General Manager, UNICEPTA Information Consulting (China) Ltd.; Dr. Rong Wang Vice General Manager, UNICEPTA Information Consulting (China) Ltd. Digital Processes in Sales and Marketing 28 th June About the workshop The Workshop Marketing & Sales focuses on mainstream topics in Sales and Marketing in China. and is designed as a platform for those who are genuinely interested in marketing best practices, new marketing methodologies and trends. The presentations highlight hands-on insights as well as innovative topics. Audiences are CEOs, GMs, strategy and marketing executives, as well as marketing experts of producing companies or from agencies. However, all employees interested in that topic are welcome, up to the C-level! In 2017, we covered a comprehensive description of the media landscape in China, explained by the true expert Dr Evelyn Engesser of Unicepta. An overview of digitalization processes in sales and marketing with a multivision demonstration was demonstrated by Ms. Beatrix Frisch from Mackevision. The first joint Workshop Marketing & Sales with the French Chamber of Commerce brought us to E-Commerce in Marketing. Mr. Adam Xu of PwC Strategy & informed us how retailers and brands are innovating to succeed in the most dynamic retail market in the world. In 2018, we are planning to look into mobile videos and live streaming in marketing, purpose marketing and its effects, the role and importance of chatbots for industrial companies and we want to look into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create customized experiences, among other ideas in the pipeline. Speaker: Ms. Beatrix Frisch General Manger, Mackevision China E-Commerce in China The Future is Already Here- How Retailers and Brands are Innovating to Succeed in the Most Dynamic Retail Market in the World Speaker: Mr. Adam Xu Partner, PwC Strategy& (Shanghai) Ltd. 28 th November 47

48 German Chamber of Commerce in China Young Leaders Workshop Leaders About the workshop Ms. Vivien Newrzella APAC Account Manager & Facilitator Celemi AB Mr. Michael Maeder Managing Partner Direct HR Shanghai Ward Howell Management Consulting Mr. Jean-Luc Duong Chief Representative China & Oceania Radeberger Gruppe The Wirtschaftsjunioren Young Leaders Shanghai Chapter is an inclusive membership-based organization, striving to create an exclusive environment for those who want to learn, grow, and contribute to a young leadership community. Building on values like cooperation, communication and social responsibility, we focus on connections and opportunities between China and Germany. In that regard, we aim to provide a networking and learning platform, hosting unique events and formats including company visits, training opportunities and much more. In 2018, we will explore entrepreneurship, for example, from a lean-, social- or manufacturing- point of view. Another hot topic will be personal and professional development featuring great guest speakers and hands-on workshops. The Shanghai Chapter has been founded in 2010 by the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai in close cooperation with young leaders, managers and entrepreneurs with a long-term interest in China. The Wirtschaftsjunioren Young Leaders ( are the German arm of the Junior Chamber International ( The Wirtschaftsjunioren Shanghai Chapter is guided by the principles of the Wirtschaftsjunioren Germany. Mr. Tobias Pfütze Founder LiqEase Ms. Daisy Zhu Manager Business Development & Membership German Chamber of Commerce 48

49 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Meet and Mix 22 nd February Moderator: Ms. Vivien Newrzella APAC Account Manager & Facilitator, Celemi Solutions Network Thinking and WeQ for the Use of Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (In Cooperation with Workshop Business & Society) 3 rd March Speakers: Prof. Ulrich Weineberg Head, School of Design Thinking; Prof. Youngqi Lou Dean, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University; Mr. Yi-Heng Cheng Chief Operating Officer, CBI Investment Management Ltd. (HK) on Clean Coal Technology, Asia Deputy Director, International Ecological Development Union (EDUI), and a Member of the Club of Rome Life and Work Between the Worlds Career, Relations, Family and China How Do They Fit Together? Speaker: Mr. Peter Kruse Former Evangelical Pastor, DCGS Agile (Project) Management Squaring the Circle 7 th April 4 th July Speakers: Mr. Michael Teubenbacher Partner, CPC; Ms. Christina Heinrichs Senior Consultant, CPC Digital Christmas Mixer 13 th December Speakers: Mr. Kapil Kane Director, Innovation@Intel.China at Intel Corporation; Mr. Daniel Shi Founder, 23Seed

50 German Chamber of Commerce in China SPECIAL EVENTS 2017 OVERVIEW Jan 11 th German Chamber Open Day for Members and Members-to-be Speaker: Ms. Simone Pohl Executive Director and Board Member of GIC Shanghai; Mr. Christoph Angerbauer General Manager GIC Shanghai; Dr. Sigrid Winkler Executive Chamber Manager soft factors as attraction of the city counted by life and air quality, health care or educational system. Due to tax and HR related issues Shanghai cannot decide on its own but nevertheless use its economic power to influence politics on national level. The speakers propose a stronger integration of the Yangtze River delta to increase stability and planning security. After the presentation, the audience had the opportunity, to ask questions to all three speakers, whereby Mr. Wassmuth and Mr. Odrian mainly explained the current situation of Chinese financial markets and global monetary flows. The interest was very big, as uncertainty about future economic developments has an impact on all European run businesses in China. Präsentation des EU Handelskammer Positionspapiers 2016/2017 Feb 21 st Speakers: Dr. Ioana Kraft General Manager, European Union Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Marcus Wassmuth Head of European Corporate Coverage, UniCredit S.p.A.; Mr. Andreas Odrian Director, Deutsche Bank The event was held in cooperation with the European Chamber of Commerce, which representative, Dr. Ioana Kraft presented the new released Position Papers. She talked about the new Chinese government notice, challenges of European companies in China and requests the Chamber makes for the benefit of its members. The European Chamber states the Status Quo and according to that develops recommendations. Topics were for example China Manufacturing 2025, which gives hope but also shows very clearly, that Chinese companies are still preferred. Foreign companies have to cooperate and transfer technologies to Chinese companies if they want to run a business in China, whilst Chinese companies can easily invest in Europe. Concerning the Shanghai Position Paper, attracting Global Talent is a difficulty for companies right now. Not only regulatory problems like complicated visa applications occur but also ASEAN Breakfast in Shanghai A Look into the Region s Key Drivers and Challenges For more details about the event, please refer to pp.56 March 2 nd 50

51 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities German Chamber Open Day for Newly Joined Members May 9 th China HR Tomorrow: The only HR Summit for German Companies in China May 25 th May 16 th 7 th Sino-German Communication Forum Building powerful Internal Communications Best practices on developing and using impactful strategies and tools! Panelists: Ms. Danting Cheng ICUnet Asia; Ms. Tina Chen Continental; Mr. Xiaolong Hu Unity China Moderator: Ms. Jing Wang-Winter HuaRan Investment & Consulting Co. Ltd Vertragsgestaltung, Sozialversicherung und private Vorsorge für deutsche Expats May 23 rd Driving Change : The role of HR during organizational transformation in times of a changing business environment was the overarching theme of this year s China HR Tomorrow The Summit. At the flagship HR event of the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, high-level speakers presented their experiences and visions on how to deal with change in HR-related organizational issues. The HR Summit is valued for its networking opportunities among HR professionals and top-level management. The highlights of the event included a keynote speech by Ms. Celina Chew, President of Bayer Greater China. She elaborated on the challenges Bayer had to face during its recent transformations, including the split of subsidiaries as well as acquisition and integration of new companies. This offered many insights into very practical solutions for the attendees facing a similar situation. Another highlight was a workshop presentation by Mr. Robert Wu, VP of Asia HR and Mr. Thomas Holzer, President of Voith Paper Asia, who introduced Voith s recent change to a leaner and more streamlined HR Management System. Their presentation provided very practical insights into the challenges and advantages of such a change. The event was closed by a panel discussion between Ms. Jasmin Xiao, Board Area HR Business Partner, SAP, Mr. Paul Hu, Managing Director, naked Hub and Ms. Julia Zhu, Head of HR APAC Region, Mapfre Insurance, on new working concepts. Despite the late hour, a lively discussion ensued on currently happening changes and adaptations and the outlook on future scenarios of how workplaces might develop. Speakers: Mr. Klaus-Peter von der Eltz Expatriate Care Consult GmbH; Mr. Philip Lazare Luther Law Firm The presentation by Mr. Klaus-Peter von der Eltz provided participants with an important lesson on how German expats acquire appropriate and sustainable social security for a long-term stay in China and after returning to Germany. He introduced firstly the similarities and differences of insurances in Germany and China explaining both, advantages and disadvantages. Before and after the presentation guests had the opportunity to as very personal and specific questions. 51

52 German Chamber of Commerce in China Best Practices for Corporate Health Speakers: Prof. Dr. Thomas Kurscheid; Dr. Michael Feld sleep medicine specialist June 5 th Prof. Dr. Kurscheids talked about the investment in workforce health, which is not only enhancing the image of companies, but also pays back financially. Feedback from his cooperation partners like Deutsche Bank, Metro, Ikea, IHK Cologne show this. A health check-up has to be comprehensive, including a psycho-mental profile (e.g. risk for burnout). It should be easily understandable. Therefore, Prof. Dr. Kurscheid prefers to depict the results and risks visually. Sending an anonymous feedback to the company, for example about the number of burnout endangered workers, gives the company the possibility to act and change structures. On September 11 th, Delegate and Chief Representative at the Delegation of the German Industry & Commerce Shanghai, Executive Director, GCC Shanghai and member of the Board, Simone Pohl, held an exclusive dinner for Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Uwe Beckmeyer alongside German Consul General, Dr. Christine Althauser and Vice General Consul, Claudia Spahl. In an effort to provide Parliamentary State Secretary Beckmeyer with an overview of Sino-German business relations in the Greater Shanghai region, Ms. Pohl invited members of the Board and selected German business representatives and entrepreneurs to share their take on current business challenges and opportunities across a variety of German industries. Special Excursion Automotive: Volkswagen Plant Visit June 19 th Sep 15 th Salary & Job Market Developments 2017/2018: Presentation of the German Chamber s 10 th Annual Salary Survey Speaker: Mr. Juanjo Cardona Marketing Manager at Direct HR, the cooperation partner of the German Chamber of Commerce in China for the Labor Market & Salary Report 2016/17 Speaker: Mr. Alexander Seitz, First Vice President & Commercial Executive Vice President Sep 11 th AHK Shanghai hosts exclusive dinner discussion with Parliamentary State Secretary Uwe Beckmeyer This year s the Labor Market & Salary Report was conducted in cooperation with Direct HR. Mr. Juanjo Cardona from Direct HR, presented the results and discussed with the attendees the recent developments for German companies in the labor market in Shanghai. With generally higher than average wage levels in China, wage growth at German companies has traditionally been below the major national indicators for wage developments. The expected wage growth continues to slow down however, and reaches its lowest year-on-year decrease since As every year, the release of the Chamber s Survey results were eagerly awaited by HR professionals in the region. 52

53 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Wahlparty 2017 Sep 24 th Related to the elections to the Bundestag in Germany this year, on 24 th September 2017 the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai and the German Centre Shanghai hosted the Wahlparty 2017 event. The event was held at the German Centre Shanghai and was decorated accordingly with balloons in black, red, and gold, resembling the German flag. With a satirical performance and musical performance by the school s orchestra and band, students from the German School Puxi added to the program. A performance from an acapella group followed. Since this was a family event, there were also games and activities for younger children such as soccer and face painting. Later during the night, the election portion of the evening commenced. Ms. Simone Pohl Executive Director, Member of the Board at German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai, Delegate and Chief Representative at Delegation of German Industry & Commerce started the evening with a speech. She introduced the new German Consul General Dr. Christine Althauser, who then held a short address of welcome. Afterwards, a live stream from Germany concerning the election was shown. Throughout the entire event there were German gastronomic specialties served. Extraordinary General Meeting of the German Chamber & Vote Sep 28 th This special occasion started earlier the day with an open day for the members to see the new office, get in touch with our AHK representatives and to network. In the afternoon members of the German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai gathered together to vote on the new memberships structure. This structure responds to the changing environment and organizational needs of our members. Industrie 4.0 Forum Oct 25 th For more details about the event, please refer to pp.60 Chengdu Smart Factory Visit Sep 28 th On September 27 th, 2017, Ms. Simone Pohl, Executive Director and Member of the Board, GCC Shanghai, travelled to Chengdu with the Board of Directors of the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai to visit the Siemens Electronics Works Chengdu to see a fully functional Industry 4.0 facility in action. Nov 1 st SGC Breakfast Briefing with Ms. Simone Pohl on Challenges for German Companies in China The SGC hosted on November 1 st, Ms. Simone Pohl, Delegate and Chief Representative, Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai and Executive Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai, who presented recent 53

54 German Chamber of Commerce in China survey results which gave an insight into the thought processes behind German Companies in China, their challenges in the last year and their thoughts on the future. The Q&A session by speaker and guests highlighted the importance and relevance of the importance of China for German businesses in Singapore and all across Asia. Nov 7 th Chemicals Management in China Chemicals Supervision in China Hazardous Chemicals Registration Mr. Björn Noll Managing Director of GBK GmbH Global Regulatory Compliance in Ingelheim and Shanghai; Mr. Jinhe Chen Head of Hazchem Registration, NRCC, SAWS, China The 8 th Sino-German Communication Forum started with the welcome remarks given by Mr. Xiaolong Hu. Firstly, Mr. Jean- Paul Schmitz of AsiaAssist gave a speech to create awareness of opportunities of E-commerce in China, emphasizing how important social media and mobile applications are (especially Wechat) to penetrate the Chinese market with your foreign brand in the most effective way. Secondly, Ms. Giona Jiang of Beiersdorf shared her knowledge about how to implement e-commerce in China while sharing her experience and background of her company. Afterwards Mr. Raymond Kok gave an introduction over the new advertisement law and other pitfalls to keep an eye on with advertising. China Update at IHK Potsdam Dec 1 st Nov 21 st 8 th Sino-German Communication Forum: Establishing Your Foreign Brand in China s E-commerce Landscape Speakers: Mr. Jean-Paul Schmitz Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaAssist; Mr. Raymond Kok Attorney Law at Schindhelm Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbh Repraesentationsbuero Shanghai; Ms. Giona Jiang Senior Digital Managers at Beiersdorf Ms. Simone Pohl, Delegate and Chief Representative, Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, and Executive Director, GCC Shanghai, presented opportunities and challenges for German businesses in China, discussed the most recent Business Confidence Survey and provided insights into the inner workings of conducting business in the Middle Kingdom on December 1 st 2017 in Potsdam, Germany. Dec 12 th China Innovativ Zusammenspiel von Unternehmen und Hochschulen im Spannungsfeld von Politik und Autonomie Speakers: Mr. Joachim Freimuth Freelance Trainer, Moderator and Consultant of Change-Management in China; Ms. Monika Schädler Professor of Chinese Society and Economic at Bremen City University of Applied Science, director of Confucius-Institute Bremen; Mr. Florian Keßler Leader of China-office at Sozietät Wülfing Zeuner Reche l Mr. Thomas König Manager for Executive Communications and Strategic 54

55 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Projects, GCC Shanghai; Mr. Minyan Luo Leader of China Center of Bremen City University of Applied Science N.N., Global Incubation Service Department, Inno Way Center of Innovation and Research 2017 German Business in China Innovation Workshop Dec 12 th Dec 13 th Speakers: Mr. Tao Lin Partner at Goetzpartners; Dr. Han Zheng Professor at CDHK, Tongji University 2017 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Perth Pictured: President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, DIHK CEO, Dr. Martin Wansleben, the AHK Asia Pacific colleagues, and Delegate and Chief Representative of the Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Shanghai Ms. Simone Pohl Between November 3 rd and 5 th, Ms. Simone Pohl, Delegate and Chief Representative of the Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Shanghai participated in the 2017 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Perth, Australia, the largest conference between Germany, Australia and the Asia-Pacific. A diverse mix of entrepreneurs, government officials, manufacturers and suppliers and trade associations met in Perth to shed light on the future trajectory of German-Australian relations. Ms. Pohl was a panelist on the Future of Work panel, sharing her insights on Sino-German dual vocational training programs led by the AHK Shanghai. Interchamber Cooperation: Regular Meetings Between German Chamber, European Chamber and AmCham and with other international Chambers The Executive Director and the Members of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai regularly meet with their counterparts in the EUCCC and AmCham to discuss recent economic developments and develop joint positions. Regular meetings were also held in 2017 between the German Chamber and representatives of other international Chambers, to exchange and align positions as well. 55

56 German Chamber of Commerce in China ASEAN BREAKFAST IN SHANGHAI 2 ND MARCH 2017 A Look into the Region s Key Drivers and Challenges The ASEAN Breakfast at the Shanghai Intercontinental Hotel in Pudong was all about looking ahead while making the most of the resources available to our member companies in Shanghai and beyond. One key question that permeated the event was: What are the next twenty years going to be like for our member companies here in China? As wages and labor costs are rising in China, some German companies are shifting part of their functions to the ASEAN region. To that end the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai had the pleasure of hosting four AHK chief delegates from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to shed light on the opportunities and risks of investing in the region. Mr. Peter Kompalla, Executive Director of the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the German ASEAN Business Council from the Philippines, Dr. Tim Philippi, Chief Executive Officer, Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Marko Walde, Chief Executive Officer, German Industry and Commerce Vietnam and Mr. Jan Rönnfeld, Chief Executive Officer, German-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry offered the exclusive group of over sixty participants not only insights into the recently published AHK ASEAN Index (in cooperation with Ernst & Young) but also gave their personal view from across the region. ASEAN provides the possibility of optimizing your value chains and gives an attractive complement to the Chinese market Peter Kompalla, Chief Executive Officer, German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the German ASEAN Business Council from the Philippines The panelists covered a wide range of topics, such as the composition of the labor force, special tax incentives and economic zones as well as recent political developments in their respective areas of expertise. Following the presentations and a Q&A round, the ASEAN Breakfast offered participants a chance to partake in our exclusive one-on-one consultations with our ASEAN experts. The fully booked round of one-one-one consultations allowed company representatives from the financial, automotive, pharmaceutical and services industries the chance to discuss their future prospects across ASEAN. 56

57 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Speakers: Dr. Tim Philippi Chief Executive Officer, Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Marko Walde Chief Executive Officer, German Industry and Commerce Vietnam Jan Roennfeld Chief Executive Officer, German-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peter Kompalla Chief Executive Officer, German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry 57

58 German Chamber of Commerce in China GREATER CHINA DAY 2017 AT THE IHK COLOGNE 21 ST JUNE 2017 On 21 st June 2017, more than 300 high-level business representatives from across Germany assembled at the IHK Cologne for the Greater China Day 2017, the biggest event on business strategies and market intelligence for German companies looking to gain footing on the Chinese market. Speakers included movers and shakers from across the world of Sino-German business, politics and journalism and shed light on the underlying question: Greater China Strategic Partner or Competitor?. GCC North: Belt and Road Initiative Ms. Alexandra Voss, Delegate of German Industry and Commerce Beijing and Executive Director and Board of Director member of the German Chamber of Commerce Beijing, moderated a panel on the Belt and Road Initiative. The four panelists: German Chamber of Commerce North China Chairman and CEO Siemens Greater China and President/CEO Siemens Ltd China, Mr. Lothar Herrmann, Mr. Werner Glatz, Member of the management board, Herrenknecht Tunnelling Equipment Co., Ltd., Mr. Felix Heger, Head of Ocean Freight Europe, DHL Global Forwarding and Freight Division, and Ms. Birgit Stosch, Senior Director Regional Logistic China, Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd. focused their lively discussion on the potential business opportunities for German companies. GCC Shanghai Panel: Industry 4.0. Status quo of German Business in Greater China Delegate and Chief Representative at the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, and Executive Director and Board of Director member of the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Ms. Simone Pohl prepared and moderated a panel discussion on Industry 4.0 status quo of German business in Greater China with Ms. Bettina Schön-Behanzin, German Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai President and Regional Representative, Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Mr. Clas Neumann, Senior Vice President, Global Head of SAP Labs Network, SAP China, Shanghai, Mr. Bernd Reitmeier, Geschäftsführer, Startup-Factory (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. and Mr. Gerald Mies, President BU Milling & Factory Automation, FFG Europe & Americas. The panelists agreed: Industry 4.0 holds a lot of untapped potential for Sino-German cooperation, but it is more important than ever to agree on standards and norms, safeguard data and protect intellectual property rights at the same time, acknowledging the importance of China as a strategic partner, knowledge sharing is key to advancing the interests of both, Germany in China, when it comes to innovation, digitalization and improved automation. 58

59 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities GCC South-Southwest Panel: Sales in China E-Commerce and Social Media as Drivers of Growth Mr. Jens Hildebrandt, Chief Representative of Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Guangzhou and Executive Director and Board of Director member of the German Chamber of Commerce Guangzhou moderated a panel discussion on Sales in China: E-Commerce and Social Media as drivers of growth. In 2016, data has shown that the volume of online-business in the People s Republic of China reached USD 752 billion, thus making China number one worldwide for online business transactions. A rapidly growing middle-class increasingly buys products online and via mobile. Products from abroad are becoming more and more popular with Chinese consumers. The panel discussion asked the questions: How can German companies place themselves in the growing Chinese E-Commerce market and which channels do they use for Marketing and Sales? Which preparations should be made for the access to E-Commerce in China and which role does social-media play for the chances of success? Panel participants included Mr. Hannes Streeck, Chief Executive Officer of Fiege Far East Holding, Ms. Gina Hardenbeck, Director China Storymaker Agentur für Public Relations GmbH and shareholder of Storymaker Public Relations Co., Ltd in Beijing, and Ms. Julia-Caroline Schmidt, Head of China Business, Windeln.de. GERMAN CHAMBER SHANGHAI NOW ON WECHAT - FOLLOW US AT : GermanChamberSH 59

60 German Chamber of Commerce in China INDUSTRIE 4.0 FORUM 25 TH OCTOBER 2017 Industrie 4.0 which stands for the digitalization of manufacturing is a term branded by the German economy. Its Chinese counterpart is Made in China 2025 is an important topic in both the German and Chinese economy and a crucial part in these two countries cooperation. The Industrie 4.0 Forum gave over 20 speakers and experts a platform to offer their knowledge to over 200 guests through speeches, a panel discussion and breakout sessions. The forum was opened by Ms. Simone Pohl Delegate and Chief Representative of Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai and Executive Director and Board Member of German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai, greeting the guests and speakers. Afterwards, Dr. Eric Schweitzer President of the DIHK and Mr. Wu Jincheng Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization gave their keynote speeches. Dr. Schweitzer stressed the important roles of both Germany and China, the first as the leader of digitalization of manufacturing, the latter as the expected largest digital market in 2018, in this area. Afterwards, in a panel discussion moderated by Ms. Bettina Schoen, Chairwoman of German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai started. The speakers Dr. Ruicheng Li, Senior Vice President of SAP and President of SAP Labs China, Mr. Bin Lin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Process Industries and Drives Division, Siemens Ltd., China, Dr. Guang Zhao, CEO of Haier Digital Technology and Mr. Xiaobing Huang, CIO, CiTiC Dicastal Co., Ltd. voiced their view on the implementation status of Industrie 4.0 in China, data protection and cyber security, the human resource aspect of digitalization, the innovation ecosystem in China and their recommendations for medium-sized companies for implementing Industrie 4.0. After a coffee break, the guests could attend one of the three breakout sessions on Standardization, Skills for Industry 4.0, and Digital solutions. Companies of all sizes from Germany and China, representatives of regulatory bodies and related institutions shared first-hand information about current developments, professional experiences and best practices. The event ended with a cocktail reception. 60

61 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Opening and Welcome Remarks Ms. Simone Pohl Delegate and Chief Representative of Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, Executive Director and Board Member of German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai Keynote Speeches Industrie 4.0 Trends in Germany Speakers: Dr. Eric Schweitzer President of the DIHK (Association of German Industry and Commerce in Shanghai); Mr. Wu Jincheng Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization. Trends for Industrie 4.0 in China Panel discussion Moderator: Ms. Bettina Schoen Chairwoman of German Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai, Regional Representative Asia Freudenberg Group, Managing Director Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. Speakers: Dr. Ruicheng Li Senior Vice President of SAP, President of SAP Labs China Mr. Bin Lin Executive Vice President and General Manager of Process Industries and Drives Division, Siemens Ltd., China; Dr. Guang Zhao CEO of Haier Digital Technology; Mr. Xiaobing Huang CIO, CiTiC Dicastal Co., Ltd. Standardization Breakout Session 1 Speakers: Ms. Ina Schmitt Project Coordinator at Global Project Quality Infrastructure Country Component China, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH; Dr. Wei Sha Director at IoT Center, China Standards Certification Institute (CESI); Dr. Carlos Morra Lead Consultant at Siemens Corporate Technology Ms. Jun Zhang Chair of Standards and Conformity Assessment at European Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC); Mr. Michael Chan Assistant President at Xiamen UMS Information Technology Co., LTD.; Mr. Xuelong Pan Leader, Strategy and Standardisation Development Department at Phoenix Contact Electronics GmbH Skills for Industry 4.0 Breakout Session 2 Speakers: Dr. Achim Dercks Deputy Chief Executive Officer at DIHK (Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag); Mr. Jens Hildebrandt Executive Director and Board Member at German Chamber of Commerce in China South & Southwest China Ms. Britta Buschfeld Director of Vocational Training at German Industry and Commerce Shanghai; Mr. Alexander Tobert Chief Financial Officer at KERN-LIEBERS (China) Co., Ltd.; Mr. Erik Walenza CEO, IoT ONE and Chair, IIC Smart Factory Task Group; Ms. Vivi Yin Dean of Midea College at Midea Group Digital Solutions Breakout Session 3 Speakers: Mr. Tobias Bergmann Chairman at Handelskammer Hamburg, DIHK board member; Mr. Phipps Xue Director at Strategic Innovation and Government Relations SAP Labs China; Mr. Volker Sauer Senior Vice President at Bosch Rexroth Hydraulics & Automation (Shanghai) Ltd; Mr. Michael Ellenrieder Managing Director of WER- MA (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; Dr. Feng Guo Principle IoT solution architect at Enterprise Business Group of Huawei 61

62 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The More than a Market Initiative About the initiative German companies benefit from an excellent reputation in China. They are perceived as reliable, responsible business partners and stand for high quality products, as well as innovation capability. Next to being good business partners, they often cherish a culture of care and have great working facilities. These values are important factors for future success of German companies in China. To grow stronger roots in Chinese society, many businesses engage in Corporate Social Responsibility projects, responding to employees needs as well as environmental and social challenges in their communities and society at large. In 2015, the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai, Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Consulate General in Shanghai had launched an initiative in the Shanghai business community to strengthen this new perception of the business environment here, namely that China is considered as more than just a market opportunity. Due to a very positive response, in 2016, the chambers and German business communities in Northern China and South and Southwest China joined, expanding the initiative into a nationwide initiative for all German companies in China. What are the goals of the More than a Market initiative? In an increasingly complex market, environment and society, the way that German companies respond determines their ability to succeed. The aim of the More than a Market Initiative is to join hands throughout the German business society in order to strengthen the good standing of German industries and people in China by exchanging ideas and showcasing best practices of their commitment to grow stronger roots in society. Hence, the initiative s goal is to deepen the roots of German businesses in Chinese and creating added value for both German companies and Chinese society. Thus, the More than a Market initiative is a program designed to: Create stronger relationships and partnerships between German and Chinese organizations and people Bundle the existing social engagement efforts of the German business community and make them more visible Catalyze further joint action among the German Chamber members Award a prize to recognize and honor companies, which set a positive example with their social engagement. Overview of the initiative in 2017 During its third year, the initiative gained further impetus. For the first time, the More than a Market awards were held China wide with German companies from the North, East and South & Southwest of China joining in, totaling 75 applications almost twice as many as in the year before. The Awards Gala was preceded by a CSR Forum comprising an inspiring series of breakout sessions and idea labs open to anybody interested in developing ideas and sharing experiences with CSR projects in China. Bertelsmann Stiftung compiled a publication to share the variety of projects that entered the competition, once again in English and Chinese. To offer more opportunities to think about ways to increase social responsibility in business, the German Chamber offered a range of Business and Society Workshops and also established cross-topical workshops that integrate CSR topics into the usual workshop series. The More than a Market initiative also promoted business and NGO interaction by once again inviting NGOs to the Chamber s social marketplace at the Christmas Chamber meeting and the More than a Market Forum. Businesses and NGOs also brainstormed together to kick-start new projects at this year s SAP idea lab. 62

63 More than a Market Forum th June More than a Market Awards th June In order to give participants room for sharing their CSR experience as well as catalyzing new CSR project ideas, the Awards Gala was preceded by an afternoon of vibrant workshop sessions and panel discussions: The More than a Market Forum. The Forum s workshop sessions offered participants plenty of room to share and discuss different aspects of their CSR strategies capturing topics such as how to embed CSR into the supply chain and into their whole value chain, how to communicate CSR projects or how to prepare companies for the inclusion of people with disabilities featuring last year s award-winning project Taicang Inclusion Factory, the first workshop for people with mental disability in China. Also, an Idea Lab was offered to inspire participants to sketch and develop collaborative projects. A high-level panel discussed the principles of the Global Compact and its applicability in the Chinese context to small and medium-size companies. An NGO marketplace enriched the Forum, providing business and society partners with opportunities of match-making. To download the 2017 More than a Market publication (in English), please visit: BST_MTAM_EN.pdf In its second year, 75 CSR projects had been submitted for awards in four categories: small, medium and large companies as well as collaborative projects. All these projects were showcased in the international, bilingual More than a Market publication. Based on criteria such as relevance, creativity, transferability and sustainability, 18 projects stood out and joined the short list. On 15 th June, after a careful evaluation by a jury including experts and business celebrities from both Germany and China, one project in each of the four categories received the More than a Market award for outstanding social engagement. Due to the remarkable number of school cooperation projects, the jury decided to create an additional award category entitled School Partnerships, which was given jointly to three companies for their equally outstanding school projects in China: Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou), Freudenberg and Wacker Chemicals (China). Further winners included rose plastic (Kunshan), chosen for its ongoing education program Spark the Future for children in underprivileged areas, Lanxess for their Water Protection Project, SAP Labs China for their comprehensive approach to preparing young people for an innovation-driven economy, as well as the collaborative Football Project giving migrant children the opportunity to enjoy modern football training. The More than a Market Awards Gala celebrated these achievements with our partners from Bertelsmann Stiftung, the Consulate General, Shanghai, the participating companies as well as a broader audience from the CSR community in Shanghai. Honorable guests Ms. Liz Mohn and Ms. Yue-Sai Kan, both powerful business women and philanthropists, shared their personal thoughts about philanthropy in China. 63

64 German Chamber of Commerce in China Engaging with the Winners: rose plastic, Lanxess, SAP and the Football Project Rose plastic s Open Day 17 th June Students from a partner school of the Spark the Future project that supports English skills of pupils in underprivileged regions were invited to take part in a company visit and fun English classes at the Kunshan factory. The young visitors from afar also prepared a traditional dance for local children. The English classes were transmitted online into their home village s classroom. Staff from the German Chamber were happy to participate in the open day playing English games with the kids. 24 th August The Chamber and Lanxess at a joint FU Berlin and Fudan University Summer School As an outreach event to engage young talents in CSR, the German Chamber was invited to co-host a one-day CSR workshop and support the students CSR awards at the Sino-German Summer School on Global Politics organized by Freie Universität Berlin at Fudan University. Lanxess volunteered to give students firsthand insights into how a global company aligns its CSR strategy with their business strategy. The students then developed their own CSR project ideas. The first prize was awarded to a student project proposing empowering young mothers to increase postpartum mental health in China. For an overview over the More than a Market initiative, you may also visit our website: 21 st 22 nd September Two-day Training Design Thinking & Innovation for CSR and Social Projects at SAP Labs This workshop was designed for companies and NGOs in search of partners for kick-starting new social responsibility projects in China and it taught creative methods for social project development. In the beginning, participants presented social challenges they wanted to tackle. They then went through a thorough stepby-step process to first analyze the key players involved in the specific social challenge, understand their points of view, produce viable solutions and go out for testing and researching to modify the proposed solutions. Creative brainstorming, humorous roleplaying and other highly interactive group formats helped stimulate ideas and deepen team spirit. The groups developed ideas such as an interactive information platform for visually impaired people in China, ideas to bridge the intergenerational gaps, company internships that encourage young people to engage in social projects, and a platform to promote cooperation between Chinese environmental NGOs and companies. 27 th October Kick-off for the expansion of the award-winning football project for migrant kids in Shanghai The Kids Football Project, initiated by representatives of the German business community in Shanghai, aims at increasing the quality of soccer training for Shanghai s pupils, with a focus on children of Chinese migrant workers. Together with the wellknown German soccer club BVB and supported by its main sponsor and stakeholder Evonik Industries, 50 Chinese pupils took part in a unique soccer training with BVB junior coaches. The event marked the kick-off for the expansion of the successful soccer project: Seven new Shanghai primary schools now join in the project and will receive training according to German standards for teaching age-appropriate methods to their pupils to foster sportsmanship, safety, and, most importantly, fun. The German Chamber was proud to lead through the event. 64

65 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Weihnachtskammertreffen 2017 Bringt Harmonie Frieden? 7 th December At the opportunity of the traditional December Chamber meeting with its festive character, for the second time, a More than a Market Social Market Place was held. Nine different social and environmental organizations presented themselves and their products and services in the foyer. Adream, a foundation supporting education, Business Ecology Studio, building a sustainability learning community, Buy42, a charity online shop providing jobs for 80 million people with disabilities in China, Ecoland Club Farm, promoting natural life style and sustainability education, the Football Project, providing modern soccer training for underprivileged youth in Shanghai, Mifanmama, supporting visually impaired and blind orphans, Pfrang Association, supporting education for underprivileged children in Jiangsu and Anhui, and Roots and Shoots, empowering youth to improve the environment. Furthermore, in the plenum, last year s More than a Market Award winner Taicang Inclusion Factory presented their plans to expand their successful model of offering job opportunities to mentally challenged individuals to other cities in China and explained their newly developed inclusion consulting services concept. As in the five previous years, at the end of the evening, the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai was proud to present a donation check of RMB 100,000 to Ms. Guesten from Pfrang Foundation in neighboring Jiangsu province. Business and Society Workshops In order to make room for our members discussions of topical CSR issues with designated experts, the German Chamber was grateful for Ms. Magali Menant s (Constellations International) and German Chamber board member Mr. Rolf Koehler s continuous commitment to our series of Business & Society Workshops. In January, Dr. Guo Peiyuan from Syntao shared his top ten CSR trends for the year In March, a workshop on Network Thinking and WeQ in Social Entrepreneurship stimulated discussions about new ways of leading students teams as well as employees to success through group efforts. In November, a workshop was co-organized with the Construction and Building Operations workshop on climate change and emissions trading. In December, a thrilling discussion of four NGO and social enterprise representatives marked the launching of a new publication by Business Ecology about CSR in China funded by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and supported by More than a Market: Social Innovation in China: German Companies CSR and Local Initiatives. Staying up to date on our More than a Market initiative If you would like to get involved, i.e.: Stay informed about the More than a Market Forum and Awards Gala, Stay informed about our next Business and Society Workshops on CSR topics, Find partners for CSR projects in China, Find out more about sponsorship opportunities in and around our More than a Market initiative, Please contact Dr. Sigrid Winkler: morethanamarket@sh.china.ahk.de 65

66 German Chamber of Commerce in China 20 th German Ball the Golden Twenties This year s German ball marked the 20 th anniversary of the German ball, making it even more of a special occasion. More than 1,200 guests arrived to celebrate and return to the Golden Twenties for one magical night at the iconic Jin Mao tower. The guests entered the foyer through a black and golden tunnel and had the opportunity to leave their personal mark by signing the signature board. In the foyer the guests were not only awaited by refreshing drinks and delicious canapés, but also by skilled photographers who took pictures of everyone wishing to commemorate this special evening and their glamorous appearance. The staircase was officially opened with a sweeping performance by Kiters Dance Studio. After, the exciting festivities began! The decoration in sparkling gold against black backdrops and white flowers in combination with the art deco style of the building brought the spirit of the Twenties back to live in modern day Shanghai. This year s buffet was as always plentiful, offering tasty treats from all over the world and a lavish selection of seafood, as well as live cooking stations, where food was prepared before the guests eyes. After the meal, the Dinner & Dance guests descended from the 56 th floor to join the ballroom guests. In the two ballrooms, German bands Lounge Society and Pearls drove the guests to the dancefloor with their roaring performance that kept everyone swinging and calling for encores well until the early hours. Local bands Chico and Max enlightened guests with chart-topping hits and smooth grooves. All the dancing led to a newly worked up appetite that could be stilled by indulging in the extensive dessert menu, that offered dozens of desserts, designed to match everyone s cravings. The champagne lounge offered the possibility to rest one s feet with a flute of champagne in hand while enjoying the smooth performance of the band Covertown. 66

67 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Diamond Partner Platinum Partner AUDIT TAX ACCOUNTING Gold Partner Another highlight of the evening was the lucky draw shortly before midnight. The lucky winners could go home with a selection of great prizes, such as a travel voucher from Volkswagen or a coffee machine from Nespresso. At the photo sale, everyone was welcome to search for their photos and take their memories home with them. Now, that the glamour of this special night has come to an end, the German Chamber Team would like to express its gratitude to Felix Heimberg for his charming hosting of the event and all the Ball s wonderful performers and bands. Thanks to the hard work of the staff at the Grand Hyatt, the generosity of the sponsors and, above all, the boundless enthusiasm of the guests, the 20th German Ball was a resounding success. Silver Partner Pearl Partner Beverage Partner Hotel Room Partner Hotel Venue Partner Media Partner

68 German Chamber of Commerce in China SOCIAL EVENTS 2017 Germans and friends of the German community in Shanghai don t need to worry about meeting and mingling with new people. On a regular basis, the German Chamber organizes numerous social events, ranging from Inter-Chamber Mixers, happy hours and family days to the social highlight of the year: the German Ball! The German Chamber has it all in its busy social calendar. Spargelzeit White Asparagus Dinner Käfer by the Binjiang One 18 th May 2 nd September 13 th Welcome Back Party at the Eurocampus Eurocampus German and French School Shanghai On 18 th May, Käfer served the guests of the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, according to German traditions, a delicious variety of asparagus meals during a three-course set dinner. Not only the delicious food, but also the outstanding service and the good-humored guests made it an unforgettable evening. Once again, the German Chamber, in cooperation with the German and French School Shanghai, organized the annual Welcome Back Party at the Eurocampus in Puxi. Around 700 guests enjoyed a beautiful late summer day filled with outdoor activities, games, live music, typical German food, barbecue, sweets and drinks. Summer Inter-Chamber Mixer Paulaner Bräuhaus Shanghai at Binjiang 7 th June Christmas Inter-Chamber Mixer Fairmont Peace Hotel 13 th December The international community of Chambers of Commerce gathered once again for an exceptional evening in Shanghai, organized by the German and European Chamber. Members of chambers from all around the world as well as their friends met at Paulaner Bräuhaus Shanghai at Binjiang to converse, engage in networking, and enjoy the beautiful river view from the beer garden. This year, the Fairmont Peace Hotel with its old-world charm opened its doors to the Christmas Inter-Chamber Mixer. More than 700 colleagues, family members, and friends gathered to celebrate the multinational feast together and mingle with the Shanghai community. Guests enjoyed drinks and canapes and gathered for nice conversations in the Christmas atmosphere. 68

69 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Stammtische Every second Tuesday of the month Deutscher Stammtisch Shanghai Paulaner XINTIANDI, Shanghai Every month the German business community comes together in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at the Paulaner on Fenyang Road. This is the perfect opportunity both for newcomers to get to know the Shanghai German community and for long time residents to catch up with old friends over a glass of German beer and a traditional German meal. Every third Wednesday of the month Deutscher Praktikantenstammtisch Shanghai Paulaner XINTIANDI, Shanghai Each month interns, students, and young professionals meet at Paulaner Bräuhaus, Shanghai for the German Intern Roundtable. This long-standing event gives attendees a chance to meet new people, learn more about Shanghai, exchange experiences, and, most importantly, enjoy a fun night out. Every 1 st Friday, bi-monthly Alumni Stammtisch different German Restaurants in Shanghai In 2015, the German Chamber of Commerce, together with the DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service), launched the Alumni Roundtable for Chinese students who have studied at German universities. Over German beer and traditional Bretzeln, the guests can share and exchange their experiences in Germany and benefit from this occasion to network. Averagely around 60 Alumni take part in the Roundtable each time. 69

70 German Chamber of Commerce in China NEIGHBORING PROVINCES The German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai offers its members various business events in the provinces Zhejiang and Jiangsu, with many opportunities for the companies to get involved with the Sino-German business community outside of Shanghai. With over 400-member companies, the main two provinces of the Yangtse River Delta: Zhejiang and Jiangsu, play an important role for German business in China. Therefore, the German Chamber offers events such as workshops, general manager roundtables, forums, and social events to support Sino-German business connections in the Yangtse River Delta. In 2017, the German Chamber organized 76 events in the neighboring provinces, especially in the cities Taicang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Kunshan, Changzhou, and Ningbo. To address the challenges and needs of German companies, the event topics and concepts are especially designed for the neighboring provinces and constantly revised by the German Chamber. Close cooperation with industry experts allow a wide range of topics covered in the events and offers an excellent exchange platform with experts and peers. Type and Number of Events in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Taicang Special Event 2 Stammtisch 12 Working Group 5 Workshop 9 Changzhou Workshop Hangzhou Workshop 2 Roundtable 3 Stammtisch Grand Total 76 2 Kunshan Roundtable 2 Jiangsu Suzhou Special Event 3 Stammtisch 10 Workshop Ningbo Forum 1 Nanjing Special Event 2 Stammtisch 6 Workshops 1 Nanjing Changzhou Taicang Shanghai Suzhou Kunshan Hangzhou Ningbo Zhejiang 70

71 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Workshop Speakers in 2017 Ms. Queena Lau Senior Manager at PwC China's regional Customs & International Trade practice, China. Mr. Stephan Mayer Founder, Sinophilia Consulting Ltd. Ms. Lin Swik HR consultant, FESCO Adecco (former) Mr. Tim Klatte Partner of Forensic Advisory Services practice, Grant Thornton China Ms. Mimi Wang Partner at KPMG Advisory (China) Limited, Global Transfer Pricing Services Ms. Elaine Feng Regional Manager, Bank of Shanghai International Desk Team, Bank of Shanghai Mr. Eike Fellner Assistant Manager at KPMG Advisory (China) Limited, Global Transfer Pricing Services Ms. Silei Huo Head of International Desk Team at Santander China Ms. Miriam Wickertsheim General Manager, Direct HR Mr. Wang Huaqiang Shanghai Customs College, The General Administration of Customs Dr. Iris Duchetsmann DD LHRC, Managing Director Mr. Martin Ng Managing Partner at WTS China Mr. Philipp Senff Attorney-at-Law, Partner at CMS, China Ms. Ush Dhanak Founder of Collaborate HR Mr. Ralph Vigo Koppitz German Attorney-at-Law, Chief Representative/Partner at Taylor Wessing Shanghai Representative Office Mr. Paul Von Wittgenstein CEO of CanadAsia Management Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (CAMD) 71

72 German Chamber of Commerce in China Workshop Series: Finance & Controlling Workshops Workshop Leaders Mr. Lukasz Mehl Senior Manager at PwC China, Tax & Business Advisory Services (Until June 2017) Update: China Custom Audit Measures and Key Trends 28 th February Changzhou Speaker: Ms. Queena Lau Senior Manager at PwC China's Regional Customs & International Trade practice Transfer Pricing: What You Need to be Aware of NOW 3 rd March Suzhou Speakers: Ms. Mimi Wang Partner at KPMG Advisory (China) Limited, Global Transfer Pricing Services; Mr. Eike Fellner Assistant Manager at KPMG Advisory (China) Limited, Global Transfer Pricing Services Dr. Zhen Huang Managing Partner, Shanghai De Chen Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd. (Until July 2017) Ms. Sarah Oemmelen Tax Manager, PwC Shanghai Office (since June 2017) Whistleblower Management und CEO/CFO Compliance Must-Know für Prävention und Krisenmanagement Speaker: Mr.Philipp Senff Rechtsanwalt, Partner bei CMS, China Fraud Risk Management and Cross-Border Financial Solutions Must Know & Best Practice Solutions for Foreign Business in China 29 th March Taicang 14 th June Taicang Speakers: Mr. Tim Klatte Partner of Forensic Advisory Services practice, Grant Thornton China; Ms. Elaine Feng Regional Manager, Bank of Shanghai International Desk Team, Bank of Shanghai ; Ms. Silei Huo Head of International Desk Team at Santander China It s Time for Tax Risk Controlling R&D Tax Close-up! 23 rd November Taicang As the only workshop series in the neighboring provinces, the finance and controlling workshop series aims to promote regular updates, exchange of information, ideas and experiences among finance and controlling professionals as well as interested non-finance managers and professionals in the region. The target audience are mainly finance and controlling managers and professionals in the region. The workshop series provides insights on current trends such as risk management and developments by Chinese tax authorities. Speakers: Mr. Martin Ng Managing Partner, WTS China; Ms. Ened Du Manager (Tax/Finance), WTS China 72

73 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Workshops in the Neighboring Provinces Industry 4.0 Workshop Logistics 4.0 Assessment and Implementation Planning Workshop HR: Dispatching and Outsourcing: What s in There for Your Blue-Collar Business" Workshop HR: Dispatching and Outsourcing: What s in There for Your Blue-Collar Business" 19 th January Suzhou 24 th February Suzhou 24 th February Taicang Workshop Legal & HR: From Blue Collar Workers to Automated Production Lines How to Face HR & Labor Law Challenges During Increasing Automation Workshop Legal & HR: From Blue Collar Workers to Automated Production Lines How to Face HR & Labor Law Challenges During Increasing Automation 23 rd March Suzhou 23 rd March Taicang Seminar: Vertragsgestaltung, Sozialversicherung und private Vorsorge für deutsche Expats 28 th March Hangzhou Workshop HR "China Employment and Visa Updates: Trends & Developments for 2017" 10 th May Taicang Taicang Marketing Workshop Online Marketing for German SMEs 12 th June Taicang Workshop HR: "China Employment and Visa Updates: Trends & Developments for 2017" "Self-Disclosure Report on Royalties and Customs Examination" 特许权使用费 研讨会简介 27 th June Hangzhou 11 th August Taicang Seminar: "Vertragsgestaltung, Sozialversicherung und private Vorsorge für deutsche Expats Workshop HR: " Training Plans That Get Results! " 24 th October Taicang 7 th November Suzhou 73

74 German Chamber of Commerce in China Special Events General Managers Lunch Dr. Jörn Beissert, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General Shanghai Ningbo Sino-German Industry 4.0 & Smart Manufacturing Forum th February Taicang 18 th May Ningbo Speakers: Mr. Bernd (Sunny) Michel CEO, FORCAM CHINA; Ms. Qi Yu, Team Leader of Product Marketing, TRUMPF; Mr. Zolor Wang Project Manager, GESAT Moderator: Mr. Michael Maeder Partner, Ward Howell International China For the first time, the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai jointly organized a forum with the Ningbo Investment Promotion Bureau. The aim of this event was to give German companies the extraordinary opportunity to showcase their innovative technology regarding Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing and to give them a platform to position their products in the Chinese market. In the form of case studies, companies had the opportunity to show how efficiency and added value can be increased to the next industrial level and how industrial upgrading can be implemented in production and business processes. During the afternoon networking sessions, German companies had the opportunity to connect with Chinese companies such as auto parts suppliers, electronic suppliers, discrete manufacturing and component manufacturing to further increase the Sino-German collaboration. Nanjing Next Summit: A Strategic View of China s Near Future Joint Chamber Event AmCham/GCC 9 th June Nanjing Nanjing NEXT was a summit organized by the AmCham Shanghai Nanjing Center and supported by the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. The aim of the event was to provide executives a 24-month view into what s NEXT for multinationals doing business in China as they face the business realities of the New Normal. Launch of the Suzhou International Women s Leadership Forum: Raise the Bar for Leadership Joint Chamber Event AmCham, GCC 30 th June Suzhou Speakers: Gwen Cardno, Deputy Consul General, U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai; Jessica Zhang, Vice President, HR, Eaton APAC Electrical Segment; Lili Zhou, Vice President, Supply Chain/Operations, Asia Pacific/China, Herbalife (China) Health Products Ltd. International Women s Leadership Forum Experience Sharing: How does Having Children Influence the Career Developments of Women? Joint Chamber Event GCC, AmCham, European Chamber Speaker: Marijanne Johansson, Clinic Manager at Raffies Medical 25 th August Nanjing 5 th Sino-German Controlling Forum: 8 th September Suzhou Controlling in Times of Uncertainty For more details about the event, please refer to pp.78 Salary & Job Market Developments 2017/2018: Presentation of the German Chamber s tenth Annual Salary Survey Speaker: Mr. Juanjo Cardona Marketing Manager, Direct HR 18 th September Suzhou, Taicang 74

75 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Nanjing Special Event: Understanding the Implications of the Environmental Policy on your Manufacturing Activities Special Focus Nanjing 4 th December Nanjing Speakers: Dr. Sigrid Winkler Executive Chamber Manager, German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai; Mr. Uwe Haizmann Partner and Global Head of EAC's Operational Excellence at EAC International Consulting; Mr. Ralph Koppitz Partner and Chief Representative at Taylor Wessing Shanghai Representative Office; Mr. Jiang Wei Vice Director of Administration Committee of Nanjing Development Zone ; Mr. Lu Yongge Vice Director of Administration Bureau of the Nanjing Bonded Zone; Mr. Zhang Tao Assistant of the Director of Environmental Protection Bureau; Mr. Bo Pang Board Secretary of FMC; Mr. Xu Zhichang Industry Development Director, CFLD Nanjing Co-organizer: CFLD & AmCham Nanjing Center Hosted by: Nanjing Development Zone This special event was co-organized by the CFLD, supported by the AmCham Nanjing Center and hosted by the Nanjing Development Zone. It addressed all professionals from general management, operations, and strategy to explore the general short and long-term consequences for their manufacturing activities and to understand the policy s concrete enforcement in Nanjing. The participants learned more about challenges and chances resulting from the application of rules on environmental protection in China, particularly in Nanjing. Experienced experts in their field like Ralph Koppitz, Partner and Head of Taylor Wessing s Shanghai office, and Uwe Haizmann, Partner at EAC International Consulting, gave an overview on legal considerations related to moving requests from authorities, and shared their related experience with location due diligence. The environmental bureau Qixia District, Nanjing and representatives from companies based in Nanjing provided insight into the conditions operating in Nanjing. In addition, as experts for industrial development, CFLD introduced information on Qixia District, Nanjing, as an example on the future of manufacturing in Nanjing, accompanied by a visit to the development zone in Longtan, Qixia District. The concluding panel discussion reflected on the impact on environmental policies with addressing the direct impact on German companies in Nanjing and their supply chain as well as the enforcement in Qixia. 75

76 German Chamber of Commerce in China Roundtables The AHK GM Roundtable in Kunshan and Hangzhou are member only events organized by the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. The main objective of these roundtables is to establish a regular platform for the local management to exchange information, build up a network, and provide external expertise for topics of interest or current issues. Only general managers or designated representatives (no business development or sales manager) from member companies of the German Chamber of Commerce in Kunshan and Hangzhou are entitled to take part in these events. Kunshan AHK GM Roundtable: Kick-Off Meeting & Economic Update 18 th January Kunshan Hangzhou AHK GM Roundtable: Transfer Pricing in China A Strategic Perspective 20 th June Hangzhou Henning Zander Former Project Manager Jiangsu Province Hangzhou AHK GM Roundtable: After-effects of the G-20 Summit 21 st February Hangzhou Martin Lippes Production Director, Hangzhou Wulf Chain Co., Ltd. & Plant Tour; Ingo Soeller General Manager, TWE Nonwoven (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. & Plant Tour; Mr. Thinker Chen Director Tax Transfer Pricing, PwC; Ms. Sarah Oemmelen Deputy Manager Tax Services, PwC Hangzhou AHK GM Roundtable: German Chamber s 10 th Annual Salary Survey 21 st November Hangzhou Kunshan AHK GM Roundtable: German Chamber s 9 th Annual Salary Survey 19 th April Kunshan Juanjo Cardona Marketing Manager, Director HR Juanjo Cardona Marketing Manager, Director HR Working Groups HR Working Group 8 th June Taicang Finance Working Group 24 th November Taicang HR Working Group 30 th June Taicang Finance Working Group 13 th December Taicang HR Working Group 22 nd December Taicang 76

77 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Social Events: Stammtische Taicang Stammtisch Every first Tuesday of the month German Chamber Corner Hangzhou Every third Tuesday of the month Deutscher Stammtisch Suzhou Every second Tuesday of the month Deutscher Stammtisch Nanjing Every two months on the last Wednesday Get Top-Quality production services... and boost your CSR First workshop in China for people with intellectual disabilities ISO-certified and ready for your order! Inclusion Factory Taicang Sino-German Handicapped Workshop China Science & IT Park, 88 Beijing East Road, Taicang Economy Development Area, Taicang City, Jiangsu Province 太仓中德善美实业有限公司中国江苏省太仓市经济开发区中科软件园北京东路 88 号 (0)

78 German Chamber of Commerce in China 5 th Sino-German Controlling Forum: Controlling in Times of Uncertainty 8 th September 2017 Excellent controlling capacities and qualified controlling personnel are key factors for a company s success, especially in China. While operations in China are becoming increasingly complex and competition is intensifying, there is a shortage of qualified controllers as well as a lack of knowledge of professional controlling practices. The 5 th installment of the Sino-German Controlling Forum 2017 provided a platform of networking and exchange for both financial and non-financial executives and professionals in German and Chinese business communities who would like to improve their controlling practice supporting future growth and performance excellence in China. On 8 th September 2017, the German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai and the Shanghai De Chen Management Consulting Co. Ltd. hosted the 5 th Sino-German Controlling Forum in the Hyatt Regency Suzhou. This year s topic was Controlling in Times of Uncertainty. The speakers gave insights about their companies handling controlling in terms of dealing with commercial risks and planning budgets when numbers are missing. Furthermore, they gave lectures on KPIs, digitization and tools to support controlling. During the afternoon, there was a second set of breakout sessions, which dealt with IFRS (balance sheet regulations), purchasing controlling and product & project controlling. The speakers came from different companies like Brose China Co., Ltd., Fissler China Ltd., Porsche (China) Motors Limited, PwC and Schaeffler (China) Co., Ltd. In between the different speeches, panel discussions and breakout sessions the attendees had the chance to network with other participants of the forum. The forum drew in around 150 participants, with a high share from the industry and senior level management. It was a full day conference of keynote speeches, focused sessions and networking opportunities. 78

79 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Chamber Activities Speakers: Mr. Matthias von Daacke Member of the Management Board and Director Controlling at Blanco Group Ms. Jing Tang Finance Risk Manager at Porsche Mr. Tun Seng Loo General Manager at Fissler Ms. Jane Xue Finance Director at Fissler Mr. Oliver Diehm Head of Controlling China at Brose Mr. Tobias Bichler Director Plant & Functional Controlling Asia at Brose Mr. Jiang (River) Yu Director Controlling Central Function at Schaeffler Ms. Chunyan (Grace) Wang Automotive Business Devision Controlling at Schaeffler Ms. Liu (Kelly) Yang Industrial Controlling and Sales Controlling in Greater China & Asia Pacific at Schaeffler Mr. Jürgen Berghaus Assurance Partner & Head of German Business Group in Shanghai Ms. Christine Chang Accounting Advisory Manager in Shanghai at PwC Mr. Philipp Senff Partner at CMS China Ms. Zhe Ding Head of Finance Controlling, Reporting Asia Pacific at ZF (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Moderators: Dr. Zhen Huang Managing Partner, Shanghai De Chen Enterprise Management Consulting Co. Ltd. Mr. Alexander Prautzsch Director, Tax Services China Tax & Business Advisory Services, PwC Ms. Sarah Oemmelen Deputy Manager, Tax Services China Tax & Business Advisory Services, PwC In partnership with: IMPRINT Publisher German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai 29/F Gopher Center No. 757 Mengzi Road Huangpu District Shanghai P.R. China Tel Fax Concept and Author Ms. Olivia Helvadjian Senior Communications Manager German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai Layout & Design Wibke Schäfer wbksdsgn.de 79

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82 German Chamber of Commerce in China The German Chamber of Commerce in China Shanghai would like to thank their Yearly Sponsors of the Year 2017