Second Round Table of German Municipalities

Anja Goette, who was commissioned by the Service Agency to update the study 'German-Chinese Intermunicipal Relationships' first published in 2009, presented the key findings of the study. She found that over last few years the number of intermunicipal relationships with China has risen continuously. Over 30 new Sino-German partnerships were established, reflecting the strong interest on both sides. The thematic areas of cooperation no longer focus on business. The arts, culture and school exchange now also play an important role – and a desire to involve citizens in partnerships is also clearly evident. Furthermore, issues such as local self-government, environmental and climate protection, health management and sustainable development are also important areas of work in German-Chinese relations. Another interesting development is the increase in city alliances, particularly as German municipalities join forces to gain greater clout when dealing with metropolitan regions in China.

Following that the municipalities of Essen, Berlin and Oldenburg were interviewed concerning cooperation with their Chinese partner municipalities. The partnership between Essen and Changzhou was signed and sealed officially in 2015. It forms part of the China-EU Urbanisation Partnership, and was co-initiated by the regional partnership between Jiangsu – and North Rhine-Westphalia. Businesses in Essen, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the municipal structures to promote the local economy play an important role in shaping the activities. 'Well, although we've had a municipal partnership in name since 2015, unfortunately we haven't yet succeeded in turning it into what it's supposed to be all about – exchange between people in the form of school exchange schemes, professional exchange, and exchange in the arts and culture', said Michael Theisen of the City of Essen. However, the partners have since succeeded in agreeing to step up cooperation in the field of geriatrics.

Oldenburg has partnerships with Qingdao and Xian. The municipality hopes to sign an official partnership agreement with Xian in the near future, explained Yu Wang of the City of Oldenburg. She went on to say that through the links that arose via a trilateral agreement with the Dutch city of Groningen, a vibrant partnership had arisen involving school exchange visits, close liaison with the Confucius Institute in Bremen and plans to make Chinese an A-level subject in Oldenburg's schools. In Qingdao, Oldenburg has even opened a representation, which means that liaison is very close and regular. The areas of work, she explained, are also very diverse, ranging from building links between German businesses and institutions in the Weser-Ems region and actors in Qingdao, to activities in the field of geriatric care, including the training of Chinese pupils in geriatric nursing. Furthermore, this year there will also be an ASA-Kommunal project with Qingdao involving e-learning.

Relations between Berlin and Beijing have existed since 1994. As Petra Schwarz of the Senate Chancellery explained, a broad range of stakeholders are involved in the partnership: alongside the Senate Chancellery these include the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, universities, specific districts of Berlin, associations and private individuals. One special feature of the relationship between Berlin and Beijing is exchange in the legal field. This includes for instance training for notaries and exchange between the Senate Chancellery and the High People's Court in Beijing. One of the topics discussed in this context is anti-corruption. As Petra Schwarz explained, this exchange has been formalised through Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), and functions with a high degree of autonomy. Other thematic areas that play an important role in cooperation are Smart Cities, Industry 4.0, urban development, the arts and culture. In 2014, for instance, the partner cities marked the 20-year jubilee of their relations by launching an exhibition of contemporary art entitled 'The 8 paths'. A long-term artist exchange scheme and a scholarship holders' scheme are planned.

Following a few qigong exercises, the agenda then moved on to intercultural themes in cooperation with China. The consultancy and training company Culture Waves staged a workshop focusing on hierarchy, personal relationships with counterparts, and feedback. This provided participants with valuable tools and ways of improving communication with their Chinese partners.

In the afternoon, the participants formed smaller groups to work on topics such as delegation missions and public information and awareness-raising work, and to discuss the ideal design of municipal partnerships and the role of civil society. The evening in the Chinese Pavilion in Dresden was all about culture. It included a calligraphic performance by Fu Rao, and music on the guzheng (the Chinese zither).

Whether or not German municipalities that have relations with China need a 'China strategy', and if so, what that strategy might look like, were questions that participants from Düsseldorf, Dresden and Duisburg discussed on the morning of the second day of the Round Table. While the City of Duisburg has set up a network comprising individual working groups to discuss such a strategy, no such overarching strategy exists in either Dresden or Düsseldorf. Johannes Pflug, Officer for Chinese Affairs in the City of Duisburg, argued in favour of pooling the 62 forums for dialogue on Sino-German relations that exist in Germany at the federal level, and indicated that he would welcome an overarching strategy or guidelines from the Federal German Government. Düsseldorf, on the other hand, has clearly formulated its interests, but does not have a China strategy, and nor would that be the right approach, said Jessica Dedic. The establishment of a competence centre for China in Düsseldorf, on the other hand, was unique anywhere in Germany, she explained, and was very important for the city's relations with its Chinese partners. For Dresden and Düsseldorf it was more important, she continued, to place the partnership on a broad footing, to get many stakeholders on board to help design the partnership, and to pursue theme- or project-based approaches rather than a rigid strategy.

Shi Ming, who has been following Sino-German relations for many years and experiencing them first hand as a consultant and journalist, took the view that the municipalities on the whole were going in the right direction, even though barely any of them had a 'real' strategy. He suggested that people in Germany were thinking very much about their own objectives and interests, hence it would be important to look to China and Germany’s partners, and understand what their prevailing interests are. Shi Ming encouraged the municipalities in Germany to approach the Chinese municipalities with self-confidence, because we too have a great deal to say that will continue to astonish the Chinese. In these relationships it is important, he said, to develop an ability not only to see deeply, but also to see clearly what is important to our counterparts.

The final session of the Round Table began with a discussion of the various forms of financial and human resources support available to partnerships. Doreen Eismann briefly presented the funding opportunities offered by the Service Agency, and several participants reported on their experiences with these instruments. After that, Sandra Müller presented the German-Chinese Urbanisation Partnership, and explained the opportunities for municipalities to get involved in this programme, which is scheduled to run until 2020. She also drew attention to the fact-finding missions of Chinese mayors to Germany that are organised every year by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The next mission will take place in autumn 2017. Anna Luisa Liedtke from the Educational Exchange Service, Secretariat of the Conference of Education Ministers, presented the Mercator School Exchange Fund, which subsidises school exchange schemes to the tune of EUR 14.000. The deadline for submission of applications is 1 August 2017.

The Round Table on Municipal Partnerships with China was concluded with a final round of discussion and a joint lunch.