GZplus0518_Gesamt_ohneRuecken_ENG

Projects & Visions
Trade Centre
Andreas Scholz is under enormous
stress. Today more than usual. It’s the day
of the opening of the second of the 18 office
and showroom buildings – featuring a
German-Chinese art exhibition. He and
Matthias Schneider, head of the district authority
of the Birkenfeld district are giving a
speech at the opening reception. On the
way there, Scholz will meet the Mayor of
Hoppstädten-Weiersbach, exchange opinions
and give employees instructions in
fluent Chinese on the side. “We are trying
to cover all areas of the two cultures, bit by
bit,” Scholz says of the art exhibition. “No
two countries complement one another as
well as Germany and China”. In addition to
culture, investment is being made in football
in the Oak Garden: German-Chinese
youth football camps are being offered in
cooperation with SC Birkenfeld. “We want
to develop further in the field of coach
training too,” says Scholz. “It’s a huge market
in China”.
Seeking a safe haven
Head of the district authority Schneider is
often approached by Chinese artists during
his annual trips to Asia where he advertises
the investment project. They want to
exhibit in Germany but in particular they
want a residence permit, “that’s a key issue”.
But why are so many Chinese people
attracted to the province of Palatinate?
Scholz always likes to share the story of
how he impressed the first interested parties
to Hoppstädten-Weiersbach in 2012
by turning on the tap. He drank the water
from the tap, much to the amazement of
those watching. “This is not possible in the
big cities of China”.
Nature, good air quality, reasonably
priced properties, the fact that the school
day in Germany is much shorter than in
China – but there are also hard facts to accompany
these well-being factors: growth
on the domestic market is declining and so
Chinese entrepreneurs are seeking new
sources of income and turning to the West.
There are agencies which help people to
set up a new home abroad with their money.
The business world also has little confidence
in the Chinese government being
able to guarantee stability in the country
during hard times. “Many people are worried
about their assets and want to take
them to a safe haven,” Schneider says of
the charm of Hoppstädten-Weiersbach.
And Germany has an excellent reputation
in China. Apartments are available in
Hunsrück from 90,000 euros, for example.
A member of the district authority recently
established a house building programme
for Chinese people with the aim of building
100 single family homes. A kind of house
auction was held in the ballroom of the
‘new’ castle where the district administration
is based. “The Chinese were there with
their plastic bags and put their money on
the table,” Schneider recalls. “Suddenly
there were 2 million euros on the table”.
Access to a Schengen visa is also of
key significance for the traders of Oak Garden
because this allows them to travel
freely in Europe. Some EU countries have
developed a business model from this – a
minimal investment in property is required
to acquire a Schengen visa. In Germany it
is much more difficult. An investment
must be made and a handful of jobs created.
Gaining the favour of the local chamber
of trade and industry is crucial. It is
here that the business plans of any interested
parties are assessed before passing
on a recommendation to the immigration
office as to whether or not a residence permit
should be granted.
At Oak Garden, Chinese people receive
additional start-up support as well as being
able to purchase property. The service
Since customers prefer to shop on
the internet, Erika Clerf has a lot of
time to crochet (below). Her wool
shop is based next door to a
Chinese shop (right) in Birkenfeld.
package includes help with applying for a
visa, translation services and consulting.
One entrepreneur who has made the
move from China to Hoppstädten-
Weiersbach is Christina Liang. She initially
completed a business studies course in
Marburg and in 2011 set up Goldene
Brücke GmbH, based at the ‘Headquarters
of the Global Factory’. The businesswoman
sells German products, such as fitness
equipment, to China via her own internet
platform. However, the core business of
Liang and her team is consulting. ‘Goldene
Brücke’ has already provided support to
150 Chinese and German companies in
fields such as tax law, investment, market
entry and the acquisition of selling rights.
“Chinese customers are particularly interested
in industrial machinery from Germany,
kitchen products and alcoholic drinks,”
Liang explains. “Many Chinese entrepreneurs
also want to invest and carry out
business transactions in Germany”. German
entrepreneurs, by contrast, are very
interested in everyday Chinese products
and raw materials.
Companies from the region are already
doing more business with China. “Some
winegrowers even sell their entire batch of
wine to China,” says Schneider. And the
next project is already in the planning stages:
an internet platform through which only
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