From October 20 to 25, Gao Shanwu, Deputy Secretary of the Qingdao West Coast New Area Working Committee, Director of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone Qingdao Area ("SDPFTZ Qingdao Area" for short) Management Committee, and Director of the Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark Management Committee, led a delegation to Germany and France for targeted exchanges and project promotion activities. The delegation earnestly implemented Chinese President Xi Jinping's important instructions on the development of pilot free trade zones, promoting project investment attraction and international economic and trade cooperation with a focus on further expanding high-level opening-up.

During their stay in Germany, Gao Shanwu and his delegation visited companies and institutions, including Diehl Controls, Siempelkamp Headquarters, Weiss Chemicals, KraussMaffei Group, Ammann Group, and the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), where they held discussions with relevant heads. They organized a Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark Promotion and Enterprise Symposium, providing a comprehensive introduction to the area's opening-up, development, and relevant economic and trade cooperation policies. A total of four project cooperation agreements were signed to advance collaboration in industry, investment, and trade, injecting strong momentum into the establishment of high-level opening-up platforms for the SDPFTZ Qingdao Area and the Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark.

During their stay in France, Gao Shanwu and his delegation also visited several companies and institutions, including Schneider Electric, the China-France Relations Promotion Association, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vaucluse. The delegation signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the China-France Relations Promotion Association to strengthen collaboration in fields such as advanced manufacturing, genetic technology, and green, low-carbon development, and thus provide support for the accelerated development of a high-level pilot free trade zone.

"Every project signing represents a shared consensus of mutual commitment." During this visit, targeted exchanges and project promotion activities facilitated the signing of four cooperation agreements, spanning sectors such as cross-border e-commerce, advanced manufacturing, and green building materials. This not only showcased SDPFTZ Qingdao Area's effectiveness in targeted investment promotion and efficient collaboration, but also highlighted its platform advantages in deepening international cooperation. SDPFTZ Qingdao Area will leverage this visit as an opportunity to further deepen industrial partnerships with Germany, France, and Europe at large. It will be devoted to cultivating more competitive industrial chain clusters based on its leading industries and continuously optimizing the business environment, to provide a greater space for foreign-invested enterprises to grow in Qingdao. These efforts will also support Shandong in establishing a new frontier for opening up.