An economic and trade cooperation dialogue between Southwest China's Chongqing municipality and Germany was held on Friday in Dusseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state in Germany.

The event, which was hosted by the Chongqing Municipal People's Government, the government of Dusseldorf, and the Dusseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was attended by a delegation from Chongqing, along with leaders and representatives from leading German businesses, including chemical producer Evonik, industrial and consumer goods manufacturer Henkel, auto supplier Bosch, and insurance group ERGO.

Speaking at the event, Yuan Jiajun, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, who also led the delegation, said many major German companies have established offices in Chongqing or invested there, injecting momentum into the healthy and stable development of Sino-German relations.

For example, Yuan noted that Bosch Hydrogen Powertrain Systems (Chongqing) Co Ltd, a joint venture between Bosch and Chongqing-based premium commercial vehicle manufacturer Qingling Motors, had manufactured hundreds of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles that are currently operational along a hydrogen corridor spanning from Chongqing to Chengdu in neighboring Sichuan province.

Looking ahead, Yuan expressed hope that Chongqing and Dusseldorf can join hands to explore new opportunities for China-Germany cooperation and sister-city relations, especially in the field of intelligent new-energy vehicles, advanced materials, biomedicine, logistics, and urban renewal.

Chongqing and Dusseldorf were twinned in 2004.