Prime Minister of the German state of Lower Saxony Olaf Lies returned from a week of meetings in China on April 17. The trip took him to Shanghai and to Lower Saxony’s partner province of Anhui, with its capital Hefei—the site of Volkswagen’s new giant research and development center. Twenty percent of VW shares are held by the state government of Lower Saxony.
Said Lies: “In China, we saw how quickly innovations in the field of mobility can be implemented. Volkswagen is successfully pursuing the ‘In China, for China’ strategy there to benefit globally as a whole under the motto ‘Support for the world.’ Within a very short time, vehicles are coming to market here that are world-class in terms of technology. They drive autonomously and embody the next generation of mobility. This speed and innovative strength also provides important impetus here in Lower Saxony.”
Another key topic of the trip was cooperation in the area of ports and logistics. Lower Saxony’s ports—with a particular focus on the JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven and the port in Brake—play a key role in international trade. Lies: “The discussions with our international partners have shown the potential for further cooperation. Collaborations with major port operators such as Shanghai Ports, Cosco, or Ningbo-Zhoushan help strengthen the competitiveness of our locations. Wilhelmshaven is increasingly becoming a major transshipment hub in Europe.”
