The interest in moving and working in China for a while has been felt by considerably fewer foreigners since Covid than in years past. This makes it difficult for some German companies in China to recruit the skilled labor they need. Others, especially smaller companies, have long focussed on local employees. This is because they are qualified and also cheaper. According to the new salary report from the German Chamber of Commerce in China, the number of foreign employees at German companies reached a record low in 2023.
Salary raises were also significantly lower. The report found that this was due to a relatively low level of business confidence among German companies for the coming year. Joern Petring took a closer look at the salary report.
The 2024 Olympics in Paris ended yesterday. Taiwan won seven medals, two of them gold, and made it to 35th place, albeit under the name Chinese Taipei. Taiwanese fans faced harassment in the stadiums-posters with which they wanted to support their athletes were, in some cases, confiscated, even if they did not explicitly say “Taiwan” or make a political statement. Another unpleasant incident shows just how politicized sport has become.
Boxer Lin Yu-ting was at the center of a gender debate that gained considerable momentum on the internet, partly fuelled by Russian bots, as David Demes writes. In his analysis, he examines the mood of the Taiwanese team and explains why the Olympics are so important on the island.
As a sign of the ongoing economic challenges, German companies in China were very reluctant to raise salaries last year. According to the annual salary report published by the German Chamber of Commerce Greater China on Monday, the average salary increase of member companies surveyed was 3.9 percent, 0.9 percentage points lower than in the previous year. This is also the lowest figure since 2019 when the Chamber first surveyed companies on actual salary growth.
“The ongoing trend towards lower salary increases is evidence of the challenges that German companies are facing in the Chinese market,” said Moritz Berrenberg, Chairman of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in South and Southwest China.
The report highlights how the situation for German companies could deteriorate further in the coming year. By then, companies expect salary growth of a mere 3.8 percent. “The prospect of even lower salary increases in 2025 is indicative of the relatively low business confidence of German companies for the coming year,” says Berrenberg.
The Chamber report breaks down in detail how employees in various positions in different regions of China earn.
What is striking is that while the salaries of production employees and simple management positions continued to increase at least slightly, the costs for executives declined significantly. The median costs for a deputy managing director fell from 11,029 euros to 8537 euros. The salary costs for CEOs at German companies in China were still at 14,499 euros per month, instead of 15,336 euros. This decline is probably mainly due to the fact that another trend from previous years has continued: German expats are being replaced by local, less expensive managers.
According to the Chamber, the share of German companies in China that still employ foreign workers fell to a historic low of 65 percent. The decline is particularly sharp at small companies with fewer than 50 employees. Only 43.6 percent of companies still have foreigners in their team. 68.5 percent of German companies cited salary differences as the main reason for replacing foreign employees with local staff, an increase of 6.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
Finding qualified local specialists remains a challenge for German companies. That is why the Chamber opened the first AHK Academy in the Chinese city of Taicang just last week. The new training center is intended to help close the skills gap for German companies. “Qualified, local skilled labor is essential for German companies in China. There are good and experienced local staff, but by no means enough,” says Executive Director at the German Chamber of Commerce in China of Commerce in East China.
The new Chamber report also summarizes general developments in the Chinese labor market.
Lin Yu-ting could no longer hold back the tears on the podium. After a weeks-long smear campaign fuelled by celebrities such as Elon Musk and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, the Taiwanese boxer was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief on Saturday evening. She beat her Polish opponent Julia Szeremeta in three rounds and secured Taiwan’s second gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Along with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the 28-year-old Taiwanese woman has been at the center of a heated debate about biological sex, gender and the participation of transgender and intersex people in sports competitions in recent weeks. According to an investigation by the AP news agency, Russian bot networks have been involved in artificially fuelling the gender debate against Khelif and Lin. Taiwan’s intelligence agency also reportedly identified suspicious behavior patterns and accounts that spread online disinformation about the Taiwanese team at the Olympics.
Even the commentator on the German TV channel ZDF called Lin an “intersex woman” during the broadcast of the gold medal fight on Saturday without questioning the accuracy of this information. The International Boxing Association (IBA) unexpectedly suspended Lin and Khelif in 2023 after both allegedly failed a gender test. The International Olympic Committee, which had already revoked the IBA’s rights to organize Olympic boxing competitions in 2019, demonstratively backed the athletes and described them as “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision” by the Russian-dominated IBA.
At a chaotic press conference last week, IBA officials tried to justify their decision. When asked by a Taiwanese journalist why the IBA had not already informed and suspended the two athletes in 2022, IBA President Umar Kremlev, who has come under criticism for his close ties to President Putin, responded with an evasive political statement: “Taiwan is a part of China. China is one of my favorite countries,” Kremlev said.
“The way the IBA President answered this question is reminiscent of the Chinese harassment that Taiwanese are confronted with on a daily basis,” argues political scientist Chen Fang-yu from Soochow University in Taipei. He sees the gender debate as symptomatic of Taiwan’s role in international politics. Just as Taiwan is being denied its own name (the country is competing as “Chinese Taipei”), a woman is being denied her gender, Chen told Table.Briefings. “The vast majority of Taiwanese can sympathize with this feeling.” The attacks against Lin have generated widespread support for the athlete in Taiwan.
President Lai Ching-te and his Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim had repeatedly appealed to their followers on Twitter for solidarity with Lin. “She has faced adversity and senseless attacks from beyond the ring with incredible grace and unwavering courage. We’re cheering her on to the finish!” Lai wrote before the fight. Taking a swipe at Lai’s critics, Vice President Hsiao wrote, “Taiwanese women are tough and resilient.” With a final “You go, girl!” she apparently tried to convince even the last skeptics.
It is not uncommon in Taiwan for both the president and his deputy, the Foreign Ministry and various MPs to regularly comment on the Olympics. Politics and society in the island republic experience a veritable Olympic fever every four years. The country practically comes to a standstill when Taiwanese athletes compete. Public viewing events like the one on Saturday in Lin’s hometown of New Taipei City are crowded even at half past three in the morning. It is a rare opportunity to generate international attention for the otherwise diplomatically isolated country, says political scientist Chen. “If our athletes qualify for the Olympics after a long preparation and get the chance to compete with rivals from all over the world, then this is the best chance for Taiwan to prove its existence on the international stage.”
However, the IOC is constantly trying to suppress this political message. In an interview with Table.Briefings, Rita Hsu explains how Taiwanese fans are being harassed at the Olympics. The 25-year-old student traveled to Paris just to cheer on Taiwan’s athletes. She was there on August 4 when the men’s badminton doubles team of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin successfully defended their gold medal against China. Hardly any other competition was more politically charged. In the stadium, the student saw how Chinese individuals instructed the French security guards to confiscate Taiwanese posters.
“On the one hand, I was excited to be able to watch the competition. On the other hand, the unfair treatment of the Taiwanese fans also made me very sad,” said Hsu. She criticized the arbitrariness with which the Taiwanese fans were treated. “We can only follow rules that are clearly defined. We know we are not allowed to write ‘Taiwan’ or display our national flag.” Despite this, posters with no reference to Taiwan or political statements were confiscated. When an employee addressed her as “Taiwan? Taiwan?” and tried to snatch a hand-painted poster from her hands, she defended herself loudly. “I wanted to show them that we don’t allow ourselves to be bullied so easily,” Hsu told Table.Briefings. She was able to keep her poster in the end. However, another one with the French message “Bon Courage!” and the names of the athletes was confiscated from the row in front of her.
During the flag raising of the Taiwanese Olympic Committee at the medal ceremony, the melody of the official NOC anthem was played. Just like the name of the Taiwanese NOC, the flag and the anthem are also fantasy creations. A compromise to avoid upsetting Beijing. However, as the melody of the NOK anthem is just a slower version of the official anthem of the national flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) with different lyrics, the Taiwanese fans in the stadium loudly sang the anthem of the national flag, which they still remember from the daily flag roll call at school. Rita Hsu admits that she had to practice the lyrics again beforehand. “I did some extra preparation and wrote the lyrics on the back of my poster,” the 25-year-old laughs.
The song concludes with a description of the national flag: “A blue sky with a white sun on a red background.” So Taiwan’s flag found its way to the Olympics after all. A small act of defiance.
The Human Horizons Group, the EV manufacturer behind the luxury brand HiPhi, has filed for pre-bankruptcy restructuring. The company ceased production in February after only around 9,000 vehicles had reportedly been sold.
HiPhi was founded in 2017 by former Shanghai General Motors General Manager Ding Lei and launched three premium car models, including the SUV HiPhi X with gullwing doors and the futuristic GT HiPhi Z. The brand quickly made a name for itself thanks to its extravagant designs, advanced software, and strong driving performance.
However, the search for a new investor proved difficult. In May, Human Horizons signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the iAuto Group, which, according to a report by Car News China, pledged one billion US dollars to rebuild the team and resume production. However, there were reportedly concerns about the financial stability of the potential investor. There is also speculation about possible interest in HiPhi from Changan Automobile and FAW.
HiPhi’s woes reflect the challenges of the ailing Chinese EV market, where over 100 brands vie for buyers, often with steep discounts. Just last week, it was announced that Evergrande Auto had to file for bankruptcy. jul
Colin Huang, the founder and former CEO of Temu parent company Pinduoduo, is now the richest man in China. According to a Bloomberg report, he has pushed the previous leader Zhong Shanshan, founder of the beverage brand Nongfu Spring, into second place with a fortune of 48.6 billion dollars. Ma Huateng, head of Tencent, and Zhang Yiming, founder of TikTok parent company ByteDance, follow in third and fourth place. This puts the 44-year-old in 25th place in the international ranking of the richest people.
The son of two factory workers from Hangzhou had previously worked as a software developer and product manager for Google, among other positions. After leaving Google, Huang founded several start-ups, including a company for online games and an e-commerce website specializing in consumer electronics. He then bundled his specialist areas of online games and e-commerce to form Pinduoduo in 2015. The company now has a market capitalization of over 190 billion dollars. fpe
Jochen Schultz first traveled to China as a tourist around 18 years ago. He had no idea that the country would one day play such an important role in his life, although the ultra-modern cities, the people and, of course, the food left a lasting impression on him even then. The fact that the Swabian, who was born in Leonberg, even moved to China in 2011 was actually a coincidence. His partner was offered a position with a large German company in Nanjing. Schultz was in the middle of a reorientation phase. However, he didn’t hesitate to make the decision and went with her.
He had previously worked in vocational training in Germany. In China, he then came into contact with the organizational and personnel development consultancy MTI Machwuerth Team International, which offers professional training for companies. “They were looking for someone to assist with business development. And I then nabbed the job.” Until 2014, he traveled between the offices in Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing. And he continuously expanded his areas of responsibility along the way. Because at a time when the term “hidden champion” was not yet common, more and more clients from the German SME sector were looking for support in developing their personnel and organization to explore their opportunities in China.
“Sales training, leadership, intercultural communication and corporate culture were usually the focus of German SMEs,” Jochen Schultz explains. “Creating a certain identity as a company and presenting it as a local entity then became increasingly important: What do we actually stand for? Who do we want to be? We needed to show ways not necessarily derived from the German corporate culture.”
The realization that not everything that works in Germany also works in China was a balancing act for many, Schultz recalls. In contrast, he often found working with Chinese clients very productive – “after some initial reservations.” Many Chinese were often more dedicated than Germans.
Back in Munich, Schultz set up his own business designing and organizing further training courses and underwent professional coach and instructor training. However, a new idea was already maturing in his mind: He wanted to create stronger links between German and Chinese companies. Schultz then became a member of the China Forum Bavaria, which would inspire his own plans.
Then, it was off to Freiburg to the China Forum, where he organized events, among other things. Here, too, it became apparent that there was a huge need for information and greater dialogue with China. Many of Germany’s around 1500 hidden champions are based in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. How they operate in China significantly impacts the local economy and job market. “The more discussions we held, the clearer it became that a central platform for exchange, communication, information, direct contact and production also makes sense in Baden-Wuerttemberg.”
In mid-2020 – during the Covid pandemic – the China Netzwerk Baden-Wuerttemberg (CNBW) was launched. Jochen Schultz was one of its founders. Since then, he has also served as Managing Director. The work processes are decentralized and largely managed virtually. The non-profit organization is still underway. The independent CNBW receives no funding from the state or investors and is primarily financed by membership fees. Nevertheless, the network has long since established itself as an important, independent contact office.
The CNBW’s services are aimed at German companies that want to work in or with China, as well as Chinese companies already operating in Germany or looking to set up operations. Schultz and his team develop expert talks, seminars, workshops and lectures on current topics that are vital to success. The spectrum ranges from legal and compliance aspects, communication matters and de-risking discussions to artificial intelligence and electromobility applications. “However, we see the greatest need in the area of economic policy. We constantly point out that companies and institutions often lack sufficient China expertise. We also discuss this with state ministries and authorities. We are also in close and regular contact with the Baden Wuerttemberg State Center for Political Education and the Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt.”
However, China is a complex issue currently characterized by public suspicion. “We also hear, however, that representatives of Baden-Wuerttemberg’s business community do not necessarily welcome critical comments from the state government,” says Schultz diplomatically. ”De-risking involves sounding out all risks and opportunities as far as possible.”
“German companies seek trustworthy partners, and they still exist in China, as our surveys show,” says Schultz. On the other hand, there are still Chinese companies that are already represented in Baden-Wuerttemberg and would like to continue coming to Baden-Wuerttemberg. “They also need our open ear and our understanding.”
Jochen Schultz has not been back to China for a while. An eye condition has prevented him from boarding a plane for the past year and a half. He is now on the road to recovery. He misses the people, the opportunities, and “of course, the food.” Above all, he would love another taste of jiaozi – dumplings that resemble Swabian Maultaschen. “They are also proof of the many similarities you learn to appreciate and love when you keep your doors and mind open.” Fabian Peltsch
While harvesting the gorgon fruit looks like a painting when viewed from above, it is hard work. To get to the pea-sized seeds, the large, leathery water lily leaves must first be folded aside. A spiky capsule containing the seeds is then waiting underneath in the water. The gorgon fruit is said to be rich in antioxidants and is also used in Chinese medicine.
The interest in moving and working in China for a while has been felt by considerably fewer foreigners since Covid than in years past. This makes it difficult for some German companies in China to recruit the skilled labor they need. Others, especially smaller companies, have long focussed on local employees. This is because they are qualified and also cheaper. According to the new salary report from the German Chamber of Commerce in China, the number of foreign employees at German companies reached a record low in 2023.
Salary raises were also significantly lower. The report found that this was due to a relatively low level of business confidence among German companies for the coming year. Joern Petring took a closer look at the salary report.
The 2024 Olympics in Paris ended yesterday. Taiwan won seven medals, two of them gold, and made it to 35th place, albeit under the name Chinese Taipei. Taiwanese fans faced harassment in the stadiums-posters with which they wanted to support their athletes were, in some cases, confiscated, even if they did not explicitly say “Taiwan” or make a political statement. Another unpleasant incident shows just how politicized sport has become.
Boxer Lin Yu-ting was at the center of a gender debate that gained considerable momentum on the internet, partly fuelled by Russian bots, as David Demes writes. In his analysis, he examines the mood of the Taiwanese team and explains why the Olympics are so important on the island.
As a sign of the ongoing economic challenges, German companies in China were very reluctant to raise salaries last year. According to the annual salary report published by the German Chamber of Commerce Greater China on Monday, the average salary increase of member companies surveyed was 3.9 percent, 0.9 percentage points lower than in the previous year. This is also the lowest figure since 2019 when the Chamber first surveyed companies on actual salary growth.
“The ongoing trend towards lower salary increases is evidence of the challenges that German companies are facing in the Chinese market,” said Moritz Berrenberg, Chairman of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in South and Southwest China.
The report highlights how the situation for German companies could deteriorate further in the coming year. By then, companies expect salary growth of a mere 3.8 percent. “The prospect of even lower salary increases in 2025 is indicative of the relatively low business confidence of German companies for the coming year,” says Berrenberg.
The Chamber report breaks down in detail how employees in various positions in different regions of China earn.
What is striking is that while the salaries of production employees and simple management positions continued to increase at least slightly, the costs for executives declined significantly. The median costs for a deputy managing director fell from 11,029 euros to 8537 euros. The salary costs for CEOs at German companies in China were still at 14,499 euros per month, instead of 15,336 euros. This decline is probably mainly due to the fact that another trend from previous years has continued: German expats are being replaced by local, less expensive managers.
According to the Chamber, the share of German companies in China that still employ foreign workers fell to a historic low of 65 percent. The decline is particularly sharp at small companies with fewer than 50 employees. Only 43.6 percent of companies still have foreigners in their team. 68.5 percent of German companies cited salary differences as the main reason for replacing foreign employees with local staff, an increase of 6.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
Finding qualified local specialists remains a challenge for German companies. That is why the Chamber opened the first AHK Academy in the Chinese city of Taicang just last week. The new training center is intended to help close the skills gap for German companies. “Qualified, local skilled labor is essential for German companies in China. There are good and experienced local staff, but by no means enough,” says Executive Director at the German Chamber of Commerce in China of Commerce in East China.
The new Chamber report also summarizes general developments in the Chinese labor market.
Lin Yu-ting could no longer hold back the tears on the podium. After a weeks-long smear campaign fuelled by celebrities such as Elon Musk and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, the Taiwanese boxer was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief on Saturday evening. She beat her Polish opponent Julia Szeremeta in three rounds and secured Taiwan’s second gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Along with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the 28-year-old Taiwanese woman has been at the center of a heated debate about biological sex, gender and the participation of transgender and intersex people in sports competitions in recent weeks. According to an investigation by the AP news agency, Russian bot networks have been involved in artificially fuelling the gender debate against Khelif and Lin. Taiwan’s intelligence agency also reportedly identified suspicious behavior patterns and accounts that spread online disinformation about the Taiwanese team at the Olympics.
Even the commentator on the German TV channel ZDF called Lin an “intersex woman” during the broadcast of the gold medal fight on Saturday without questioning the accuracy of this information. The International Boxing Association (IBA) unexpectedly suspended Lin and Khelif in 2023 after both allegedly failed a gender test. The International Olympic Committee, which had already revoked the IBA’s rights to organize Olympic boxing competitions in 2019, demonstratively backed the athletes and described them as “victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision” by the Russian-dominated IBA.
At a chaotic press conference last week, IBA officials tried to justify their decision. When asked by a Taiwanese journalist why the IBA had not already informed and suspended the two athletes in 2022, IBA President Umar Kremlev, who has come under criticism for his close ties to President Putin, responded with an evasive political statement: “Taiwan is a part of China. China is one of my favorite countries,” Kremlev said.
“The way the IBA President answered this question is reminiscent of the Chinese harassment that Taiwanese are confronted with on a daily basis,” argues political scientist Chen Fang-yu from Soochow University in Taipei. He sees the gender debate as symptomatic of Taiwan’s role in international politics. Just as Taiwan is being denied its own name (the country is competing as “Chinese Taipei”), a woman is being denied her gender, Chen told Table.Briefings. “The vast majority of Taiwanese can sympathize with this feeling.” The attacks against Lin have generated widespread support for the athlete in Taiwan.
President Lai Ching-te and his Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim had repeatedly appealed to their followers on Twitter for solidarity with Lin. “She has faced adversity and senseless attacks from beyond the ring with incredible grace and unwavering courage. We’re cheering her on to the finish!” Lai wrote before the fight. Taking a swipe at Lai’s critics, Vice President Hsiao wrote, “Taiwanese women are tough and resilient.” With a final “You go, girl!” she apparently tried to convince even the last skeptics.
It is not uncommon in Taiwan for both the president and his deputy, the Foreign Ministry and various MPs to regularly comment on the Olympics. Politics and society in the island republic experience a veritable Olympic fever every four years. The country practically comes to a standstill when Taiwanese athletes compete. Public viewing events like the one on Saturday in Lin’s hometown of New Taipei City are crowded even at half past three in the morning. It is a rare opportunity to generate international attention for the otherwise diplomatically isolated country, says political scientist Chen. “If our athletes qualify for the Olympics after a long preparation and get the chance to compete with rivals from all over the world, then this is the best chance for Taiwan to prove its existence on the international stage.”
However, the IOC is constantly trying to suppress this political message. In an interview with Table.Briefings, Rita Hsu explains how Taiwanese fans are being harassed at the Olympics. The 25-year-old student traveled to Paris just to cheer on Taiwan’s athletes. She was there on August 4 when the men’s badminton doubles team of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin successfully defended their gold medal against China. Hardly any other competition was more politically charged. In the stadium, the student saw how Chinese individuals instructed the French security guards to confiscate Taiwanese posters.
“On the one hand, I was excited to be able to watch the competition. On the other hand, the unfair treatment of the Taiwanese fans also made me very sad,” said Hsu. She criticized the arbitrariness with which the Taiwanese fans were treated. “We can only follow rules that are clearly defined. We know we are not allowed to write ‘Taiwan’ or display our national flag.” Despite this, posters with no reference to Taiwan or political statements were confiscated. When an employee addressed her as “Taiwan? Taiwan?” and tried to snatch a hand-painted poster from her hands, she defended herself loudly. “I wanted to show them that we don’t allow ourselves to be bullied so easily,” Hsu told Table.Briefings. She was able to keep her poster in the end. However, another one with the French message “Bon Courage!” and the names of the athletes was confiscated from the row in front of her.
During the flag raising of the Taiwanese Olympic Committee at the medal ceremony, the melody of the official NOC anthem was played. Just like the name of the Taiwanese NOC, the flag and the anthem are also fantasy creations. A compromise to avoid upsetting Beijing. However, as the melody of the NOK anthem is just a slower version of the official anthem of the national flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) with different lyrics, the Taiwanese fans in the stadium loudly sang the anthem of the national flag, which they still remember from the daily flag roll call at school. Rita Hsu admits that she had to practice the lyrics again beforehand. “I did some extra preparation and wrote the lyrics on the back of my poster,” the 25-year-old laughs.
The song concludes with a description of the national flag: “A blue sky with a white sun on a red background.” So Taiwan’s flag found its way to the Olympics after all. A small act of defiance.
The Human Horizons Group, the EV manufacturer behind the luxury brand HiPhi, has filed for pre-bankruptcy restructuring. The company ceased production in February after only around 9,000 vehicles had reportedly been sold.
HiPhi was founded in 2017 by former Shanghai General Motors General Manager Ding Lei and launched three premium car models, including the SUV HiPhi X with gullwing doors and the futuristic GT HiPhi Z. The brand quickly made a name for itself thanks to its extravagant designs, advanced software, and strong driving performance.
However, the search for a new investor proved difficult. In May, Human Horizons signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the iAuto Group, which, according to a report by Car News China, pledged one billion US dollars to rebuild the team and resume production. However, there were reportedly concerns about the financial stability of the potential investor. There is also speculation about possible interest in HiPhi from Changan Automobile and FAW.
HiPhi’s woes reflect the challenges of the ailing Chinese EV market, where over 100 brands vie for buyers, often with steep discounts. Just last week, it was announced that Evergrande Auto had to file for bankruptcy. jul
Colin Huang, the founder and former CEO of Temu parent company Pinduoduo, is now the richest man in China. According to a Bloomberg report, he has pushed the previous leader Zhong Shanshan, founder of the beverage brand Nongfu Spring, into second place with a fortune of 48.6 billion dollars. Ma Huateng, head of Tencent, and Zhang Yiming, founder of TikTok parent company ByteDance, follow in third and fourth place. This puts the 44-year-old in 25th place in the international ranking of the richest people.
The son of two factory workers from Hangzhou had previously worked as a software developer and product manager for Google, among other positions. After leaving Google, Huang founded several start-ups, including a company for online games and an e-commerce website specializing in consumer electronics. He then bundled his specialist areas of online games and e-commerce to form Pinduoduo in 2015. The company now has a market capitalization of over 190 billion dollars. fpe
Jochen Schultz first traveled to China as a tourist around 18 years ago. He had no idea that the country would one day play such an important role in his life, although the ultra-modern cities, the people and, of course, the food left a lasting impression on him even then. The fact that the Swabian, who was born in Leonberg, even moved to China in 2011 was actually a coincidence. His partner was offered a position with a large German company in Nanjing. Schultz was in the middle of a reorientation phase. However, he didn’t hesitate to make the decision and went with her.
He had previously worked in vocational training in Germany. In China, he then came into contact with the organizational and personnel development consultancy MTI Machwuerth Team International, which offers professional training for companies. “They were looking for someone to assist with business development. And I then nabbed the job.” Until 2014, he traveled between the offices in Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing. And he continuously expanded his areas of responsibility along the way. Because at a time when the term “hidden champion” was not yet common, more and more clients from the German SME sector were looking for support in developing their personnel and organization to explore their opportunities in China.
“Sales training, leadership, intercultural communication and corporate culture were usually the focus of German SMEs,” Jochen Schultz explains. “Creating a certain identity as a company and presenting it as a local entity then became increasingly important: What do we actually stand for? Who do we want to be? We needed to show ways not necessarily derived from the German corporate culture.”
The realization that not everything that works in Germany also works in China was a balancing act for many, Schultz recalls. In contrast, he often found working with Chinese clients very productive – “after some initial reservations.” Many Chinese were often more dedicated than Germans.
Back in Munich, Schultz set up his own business designing and organizing further training courses and underwent professional coach and instructor training. However, a new idea was already maturing in his mind: He wanted to create stronger links between German and Chinese companies. Schultz then became a member of the China Forum Bavaria, which would inspire his own plans.
Then, it was off to Freiburg to the China Forum, where he organized events, among other things. Here, too, it became apparent that there was a huge need for information and greater dialogue with China. Many of Germany’s around 1500 hidden champions are based in the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. How they operate in China significantly impacts the local economy and job market. “The more discussions we held, the clearer it became that a central platform for exchange, communication, information, direct contact and production also makes sense in Baden-Wuerttemberg.”
In mid-2020 – during the Covid pandemic – the China Netzwerk Baden-Wuerttemberg (CNBW) was launched. Jochen Schultz was one of its founders. Since then, he has also served as Managing Director. The work processes are decentralized and largely managed virtually. The non-profit organization is still underway. The independent CNBW receives no funding from the state or investors and is primarily financed by membership fees. Nevertheless, the network has long since established itself as an important, independent contact office.
The CNBW’s services are aimed at German companies that want to work in or with China, as well as Chinese companies already operating in Germany or looking to set up operations. Schultz and his team develop expert talks, seminars, workshops and lectures on current topics that are vital to success. The spectrum ranges from legal and compliance aspects, communication matters and de-risking discussions to artificial intelligence and electromobility applications. “However, we see the greatest need in the area of economic policy. We constantly point out that companies and institutions often lack sufficient China expertise. We also discuss this with state ministries and authorities. We are also in close and regular contact with the Baden Wuerttemberg State Center for Political Education and the Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt.”
However, China is a complex issue currently characterized by public suspicion. “We also hear, however, that representatives of Baden-Wuerttemberg’s business community do not necessarily welcome critical comments from the state government,” says Schultz diplomatically. ”De-risking involves sounding out all risks and opportunities as far as possible.”
“German companies seek trustworthy partners, and they still exist in China, as our surveys show,” says Schultz. On the other hand, there are still Chinese companies that are already represented in Baden-Wuerttemberg and would like to continue coming to Baden-Wuerttemberg. “They also need our open ear and our understanding.”
Jochen Schultz has not been back to China for a while. An eye condition has prevented him from boarding a plane for the past year and a half. He is now on the road to recovery. He misses the people, the opportunities, and “of course, the food.” Above all, he would love another taste of jiaozi – dumplings that resemble Swabian Maultaschen. “They are also proof of the many similarities you learn to appreciate and love when you keep your doors and mind open.” Fabian Peltsch
While harvesting the gorgon fruit looks like a painting when viewed from above, it is hard work. To get to the pea-sized seeds, the large, leathery water lily leaves must first be folded aside. A spiky capsule containing the seeds is then waiting underneath in the water. The gorgon fruit is said to be rich in antioxidants and is also used in Chinese medicine.
