Ms Xie Yuhua, Director of Foreign Affairs, met virtually with Mr Eric Swehla, Director of Economic Promotion Bureau of Wuppertal, Dongguan’s sister city in Germany, on November 4th to review important progress made in the last several years in bilateral cooperation and to exchange notes on advancing cooperation in areas of trade, investment, higher education, new energy, and smart manufacturing. The two sides agreed to work together towards a higher-level virtual meeting in recent months with mayors from both cities to further enhance partnership.
The water power of the Wupper was in every respect the formative element for the town. It is the basis of Wuppertal’s unique industrial history, it cut valleys into the hills, and water has made Wuppertal refreshingly greener than almost every other large town in Germany. Open spaces alternate with narrow parts, height with depth, tranquility with bustle, and village character with city flair. The many inherent contrasts have created contradictions that constitute the town’s special charm, which never fails to fascinate its visitors. Travelling on the monorail offers immediate entry to this world. Those who wish to stay longer can use one of the innumerable flights of steps for which Wuppertal is well-known in order to climb up from the valley of the Wupper to the higher parts and visit further attractions that the town has to offer.
No matter whether woodchip paper, Aspirin or Kobold vacuum cleaner–Wuppertal firms have established makes and products that are regarded as leaders on the world market. The typical feature of industry in Wuppertal is the number of strong medium-sized businesses renowned for reliability and innovation. Wuppertal’s significance as a place of research and development is demonstrated by the energy agency (Energieagentur NRW), Bayer’s research centre, the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, and by its university, the Bergische Universität, which was founded in 1972 and now has eight faculties. In various ranking lists the university has been given extremely good ratings in recent years.
