Deutsche Welle reported last night (November 13th): "【BASF CEO: Only by relying on China can growth be maintained】

The CEO of BASF said on Wednesday that this German chemical giant must invest in China to ensure future growth and urged Berlin to seek closer ties with Beijing.

BASF is building a large integrated chemical production base in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China. This is the company's largest single investment to date, expected to cost about 8.7 billion euros. However, the project has sparked controversy, as people are increasingly concerned about the extent of Germany's economic dependence on China.

BASF CEO Markus Kamieth recently said, "If you want to be a chemical company that continues to grow, you must develop in China."

During a discussion with multiple media outlets in Berlin, he stated that China is the world's largest market for chemical products. "China is the strongest manufacturing country in the world. If China develops, the market will develop."

Last week, BASF announced that its production line in Zhanjiang, China, has started operations, marking significant progress in the project. China is the world's second-largest economy, but its growth rate has slowed in recent years. Kamieth said that business growth in the Chinese market was slightly below expectations.

He advised the German government to "actively establish good working relationships with the Chinese government." Kamieth believes that the German coalition government has not yet sent out 'positive signals towards China' and pointed out that Chancellor Merkel has not yet visited China.

Last month, the German Foreign Minister delayed his visit to China, and Berlin stated that apart from the foreign ministerial meeting between Germany and China, there were no sufficient other meetings arranged. However, German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Christian Lindner will visit China next week."

[Witty] Comments: "The 21st century is the Chinese century," a prediction made by some Western elites in the late 20th century, has now been affirmed and accepted by the mainstream of the Western tech and economic sectors. However, some Western politicians still ignore it, refusing to accept this fact. The recent actions of Germany resemble those of a reckless fool who destroys his own Great Wall, performing a shocking "absurd play" on the road of industrial development. It is tearing down its carefully built industrial advantages bit by bit, turning the so-called Industry 4.0, which represents advanced and future technologies, into something like Industry 0.4. If this trend continues, it might even become "Industry 404"—a page that cannot be found. With such poor performance, how can it have any confidence or qualifications to sit at the "table" and share the dividends of development with other industrial powers in this intense global industrial competition?

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1848738634260744/

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