FRANKFURT, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's Xuhui District held an investment promotion conference in Frankfurt on Tuesday, aiming to deepen Sino-German cooperation and attract more German businesses.

Themed "Collaborating for Shared Development, Co-creating the Future," the event gathered over 100 leaders from both Chinese and German governments and industries.

Cao Liqiang, Secretary of the Xuhui District Committee, highlighted Xuhui as a hub of business, innovation, culture, and sports, offering world-class infrastructure and industrial ecosystems. "We invite global partners to join us in Xuhui to build the future together," he said.

Cao also noted the district's long-standing ties with Germany, dating back 400 years to scientific collaboration between Ming Dynasty scholar Xu Guangqi, in memory of whom Xuhui District was named, and German missionary Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

Today, Xuhui District is home to the German Consulate General in Shanghai and over 180 German companies -- including Adidas, Fresenius, BMW, Bosch, Wacker Chemie, and ZF.

Adidas, whose Greater China headquarters is located there, has seen seven straight quarters of growth and plans to open two new premium stores in the district this year. Manuel Pauser, vice president of global government & community affairs of Adidas, praised Xuhui's blend of technology, fashion, and business-friendly policies.

Xuhui hosts 3,400 foreign companies, including 170 regional headquarters and R&D centers, and is emerging as a national center for artificial intelligence. It is home to institutions like the Shanghai Innovation Institute of AI, the National AI Mega-Fund, and the Shanghai AI Laboratory. It also pioneered China's first and only large-scale AI model innovation community, "Model Space."

Tian Xinying, Director of Xuhui's Investment Promotion Office, emphasized synergies between Xuhui's innovation-driven development and Germany's "Industry 4.0" strategy. Under the "One Enterprise, One Policy" initiative, Xuhui promises tailored support for international headquarters.

"We welcome more German 'hidden champions' to Xuhui, where 'German precision' meets 'Chinese speed'," Tian said.

Also unveiled at the event was Haizhi Online, a platform connecting Chinese firms with global customers. Duan Dantong, Head of Overseas Operations, said it supports the digital transformation of Chinese SMEs.

Several MOUs were signed between Xuhui District and the International Hidden Champions Association, the German-Chinese Trade & Investment Promotion Association, Bank of Communications Frankfurt Branch, and the Frankfurt Chinese Enterprises Association at the conference.

Xuhui District also launched its Overseas Investment Service Center (Frankfurt Branch) in partnership with Bank of China Frankfurt Branch.

The event was hosted by Xuhui District and supported by China Economic Information Service (Shanghai), Bank of Communications Frankfurt, and Bank of China Frankfurt.

Dignitaries present at the event include Chen Yan, director of economic and commercial counselor's office of the Chinese Consulate in Frankfurt, Michael Borchmann, former director-general for European Affairs in Hessen state, Hu Xiaoming, chief of Xinhua News Agency Berlin Bureau, Yang Min, CEO of BoCom Frankfurt Branch, and Chen Longjian, CEO of BOC Frankfurt Branch. Enditem

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