Taicang Special: Taicang tops for German investment

The average Chinese person would probably need a moment to find Taicang on a map, so it is hard to believe that the county is already a household name in the German business community.

Since the first German company - Kern Liebers - settled in Taicang in 1993, this small county in the Yangtze River Delta has become home to more than 160 German enterprises involving a combined investment of $1.5 billion.

Boasting the largest number of German enterprises, Taicang is among the most attractive investment destinations in China for German companies.

The local government is trying to build on the momentum of its current success and predicts the number of German-funded companies in the county is expected to reach 200 this year and 300 by 2015.

German investors are drawn to the locale due to its proximity to Shanghai and other boomtowns in the Yangtze River Delta as well as its convenient land and water transportation networks.

However, the decisive factor behind the county's success is the local government's efforts to create a familiar and favorable environment for German entrepreneurs.

One of the examples is the local government's emphasis on intellectual property (IP) protection. In an innovation-driven economy like that of Germany, IP protection is highly valued by the business community.

The local government's efforts have been praised by German businesspeople and central authorities alike. The county was recognized by the State Intellectual Property Office as a model example for IP protection.

In terms of vocational education, the county government has also borrowed German training concepts, which highlight hands-on instruction in vital skills. Taicang now has a number of vocational schools that can produce high-level technicians for German-funded enterprises.

Meanwhile, the county has also enlisted experts from Germany to help build environmentally friendly industrial parks.

To make the Germans feel at home in Taicang, the local authorities have endeavored to build a familiar cultural and living environment for them by regularly hosting beer festivals and other German cultural festivals.

zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn