On 18 and 19 September 2024, the 11^th Sino-German Business Conference (德中经济合作对话会) took place in Stuttgart under the motto “Mastering Global Challenges Together”. The one-and-a-half-day event was organized by the RSBK and former German Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping (1998-2002). High-ranking representatives from business, academia, and politics from both countries gathered to discuss the future of Sino-German relations.

With a total of 17 renowned keynote speakers, including Stefan Grosch, Managing Director and Labour Director of Robert Bosch GmbH, Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, CEO of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and Prof. Clas Neumann, President of the German Chamber of Commerce East China, the conference attracted more than 200 participants.

Austria was also well represented: Prof. Martin Kocher, Federal Minister for Labour and Economic Affairs of the Republic of Austria, joined online and spoke about the “Fragmentation of Global Trade and its associated impact on European-Chinese economic relations”.

One outstanding item on the program was the panel discussion “Innovation: Between Global Tasks and National Strategies”, in which Prof. Andreas Altmann, Rector of MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, participated.

Prof. Wei Manske-Wang was also on site and represented the MCI China Centre from Austria. She took the opportunity to intensify the exchange with leading experts from politics and business as well as entrepreneurs from China.

The conference emphasized the growing importance of Sino-German cooperation in an increasingly complex global economic landscape and provided new impetus for future exchange.