Reference News Network, December 11 report. According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, on December 9, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said before ending her visit to China that Europe must accelerate its technological innovation if it wants to catch up with China.
During her visit to the industrial metropolis Guangzhou, Baerbock said that Germany and Europe could potentially lose in the technology race.
She said: "In future technologies, China is a pioneer. It must be clearly stated that China is also our biggest competitor."
She said that Germany is not always able to turn cutting-edge research into practical solutions and needs to have a more open attitude towards innovation. She said: "We definitely need to catch up."
Guangzhou was the last stop of Baerbock's China trip. She visited a factory of the German company Hilti, which assembles and maintains machinery here. She also visited WeRide, established in Guangzhou in 2017, and took a ride on an autonomous shuttle bus.
According to the German website "China Platform," on December 9, German Foreign Minister Baerbock ended her visit to China. The Christian Democratic Union politician left from the southern metropolis Guangzhou in China at local time on the evening of the 9th to return to Germany.
At the end of the visit, Baerbock gave a positive evaluation of her exchanges with Chinese representatives. She said: "Overall, my impression of this visit is that China and we are both very interested in serious and specific exchanges."
Baerbock also mentioned the plan of Chancellor Scholz to visit China in early 2026. She said: "I think the chancellor understands the importance of political and economic relations with China. Therefore, the plan for the chancellor to visit China is correct." She also added that her visit, just like the previous visit by Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lindner, has laid a good foundation for the chancellor's visit.
Hildgarden Miller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, who accompanied Baerbock on the visit, emphasized: "Germany and Europe must also work to improve their competitiveness." She warned: "We need trade agreements, raw material agreements, and we need cheaper energy." About 70% of jobs in Germany are related to exports. (Translated by Yang Xinpeng, Nie Litan)
WeRide autonomous shuttle bus (Xinhua News Agency)
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7582422184157594146/
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