Christopher Hock interviewed by China Daily on Sino-German business relationships
Christopher Hock, German Desk Coordinator at Mazars China, gives an overview of 40 years of collaboration between Germany and China.
How have German businesses managed to be so successful in China?
According to Christopher, the success of German businesses in China is due partly to good fortune and partly to industrial similarities. The German economy has long specialised in heavy industry, producing machinery of the kind China needed as its economy grew. There are also similarities in the characteristics of the Chinese and German economy. Both have a focus on owner managed businesses and this has helped the two to work together.
Extending cooperation into the future
The future challenge for the two countries is to extend cooperation into environmental protection, formulating energy-saving standards, developing new energy technologies, green architecture and urban planning.
Christopher Hock meanwhile is seeing both sides of the two nations business needs. "The Mazars German Desks in China assist German-speaking companies with their China development, from feasibility studies to M&A and we are seeing continued interest by German businesses in entering China."
"On the other hand, in Germany, Mazars China Desks help Chinese companies expand into Germany and other European territories through investment analysis, identifying acquisition targets and related compliance and tax issues. Initial enquiries often begin here in China. Partly due to the long standing relationship, China does see Germany as something of a gateway to Europe"