German government welcomes Chinese investors and will make efforts to dissolve public skepticism, said German Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Thursday.
"Chinese companies create jobs when they invest in Germany, and are very welcomed," said Gabriel in Berlin when attending the opening ceremony of Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany, the first nationwide Chinese chamber in the Europe's largest economy.
In his first public appearance after taking office in Germany's new government, Gabriel said the fact that Chinese investment helped stabilize jobs in Germany and benefited both sides had been indicated by many examples, but was still unknown by the public.
"We will make our efforts to dissolve the concerns," said Gabriel, adding that his ministry will support Chinese investors "as if we were your ministry".
"Germany has become one of the favorite destinations for Chinese companies," said Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng in a written message for the opening ceremony on Thursday. The biggest Chinese investment was made in 2012 by Weichai Power, which invested 738 million euros (about 1.01 billion U.S. dollars) in German Kion Group, the largest forklift truck maker in Europe. Earlier in 2011, Chinese IT company Lenovo acquired German electronic giant Medion with 629 million euros.
Considering total investment volumes, however, bilateral investment was still unbalanced.
According to data provided by the new Chinese chamber, over 2,000 Chinese companies are operating in Germany. By September 2013, Chinese firms have invested 3.8 billion U.S. dollars in Germany. German investment in China, meanwhile, has increased to 21.59 billion U.S. dollars.
It was important to balance bilateral investments, setting up a Chinese chamber was an important step for Chinese companies to better enter German market, Gabriel said.
The minister announced that he would lead a delegation to China, now Germany's third largest trade partner, in late February. The visit would aim at "paving road for German firms in China, as well as for Chinese investment in Germany", he said.
