Bavaria top location for Chinese investments, Invest in Bavaria
Release Date: 2009-10-05
Bavaria continues to be an attractive location for Chinese companies despite the global financial and economic crisis. In the first half of 2009, as many as eight investment projects were brought to a successful conclusion by Chinese companies in Bavaria. “Bavaria scores well among Chinese companies in particular because of its central location as the gateway to Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. But its closeness to major customers, the two international airports at Munich and Nuremberg and the nearby Chinese community are also deciding factors for our Chinese friends when it comes to setting up a new business in Bavaria”, commented Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Zeil.
The most important business investments and expansions include, among others, the investments by Topray Solar, a professional manufacturer of solar cell, solar panel, solar charger, solar light, solar gardening products and solar power system in Shenzhen, that launched its European headquarters in Munich few days ago. Topray Solar is the only company in China that has the ability to produce amorphous silicon solar cell with 50MW capacity, and mono-crystalline & poly-crystalline solar cell with 30MW capacity.
Bavaria’s photovoltaic market accounts for roughly half of all the photovoltaic-generated electricity in Germany. The facilities generating this electricity and their component parts and services are often Bavarian products. The manufacturers of solar-use silicon and photovoltaic cells based in Bavaria are among the world’s leaders. Headquartered or based in Bavaria are such major producers of photovoltaic cells, wafers or solar-use silicon as Applied Materials GmbH & Co. KG, Alzenau; AVANCIS GmbH & Co. KG, Munich; CENTROSOLAR Group AG, Munich; Konarka Technologies GmbH, Nuremberg; Schott Solar GmbH, Alzenau and Putzbrunn; Solar*Tec AG, Aschheim; and Wacker Chemie GmbH (Burghausen).
There are today over 100 branches of Chinese companies in Bavaria. With currently some 10,000 Chinese people living here, the State is one of the Chinese strongholds in Germany. Besides the Greater Munich Area, the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region in particular is exceptionally popular among Chinese companies.
“Our Bavarian Representative Office in Shandong under the direction of Dr. Geltinger is an indispensable pillar of support for Chinese companies wishing to set up facilities in Bavaria. Dr. Geltinger and also Invest in Bavaria, the central contact agency for foreign investors in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, provide comprehensive, competent and free support and assistance for Chinese firms interested in coming to Bavaria”, commented Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Zeil.
The People’s Republic of China is by far Bavaria’s biggest trading partner in Asia. Last year, the volume of trade came to euro 19.6 billion. Bavaria’s exports totalled euro 7.5 billion, and its imports euro 12.1 billion. It is already 22 years since the partnership was launched between Bavaria and the Chinese Province of Shandong.
| Type: | NORMAL |
| Company: | Invest in Bavaria |
| Country: | Germany |