“Isn’t it a pleasure to meet with friends from afar?”
This saying by Confucius captures the essence of the city partnership between Berlin and Beijing. The two cities are united by a very diverse, active partnership especially in science and academia, research, and innovation, as well as in urban development, the environment, mobility, public safety, business, education and youth and school exchanges, culture, and sports. Our city partnership offers plenty of opportunities for engaging encounters, learning from each other, and international understanding. It is sustained by the great commitment of many different stakeholders from all areas of our urban communities.
Berlin and Beijing have many interests in common and – like metropolises all over the world – both cities are facing very similar challenges. The Berlin-Beijing city partnership provides a framework and an excellent foundation for cooperation on solutions to our cities’ most pressing problems.
An agreement on friendly cooperation was signed already on 5 May 1988 by the Magistrat, East Berlin’s city government, and its counterpart in Beijing. In April 1994, a joint declaration and a memorandum on exchange programs underscored the partnership between the two capital cities.
Many building blocks help to form the strong bond between Berlin and Beijing. The federal state of Berlin, represented by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, has had a presence in Beijing since April 2018, when it opened its Berlin Business Desk China. It helps Berlin businesses to get a foothold in the Chinese market, while also serving as a first port of call for Chinese companies who are interested in doing business in Berlin. The “Berlin Business Desk China” aims to facilitate market entry for Berlin firms in China, generate new business leads, and offer guidance in finding prospective business partners, authorities, and institutions. Its work centers on current issues and themes that are relevant to the Berlin capital region, such as smart cities, startups, and the priorities of the joint innovation strategy developed by the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg (InnoBB). At the same time, the Business Liaison Desk China serves as the first port of call for Chinese firms looking to expand their activities to Berlin. Here, they can get information about the economy in Germany’s capital city and find out more about innovation and investment, funding programs, and opportunities for targeted networking in the world of business.
