China

GIZ local staff

National employees: 82
International employees: 27

_{(as at: 31.12.2023)}  

GIZ has been supporting Sino-German cooperation in China on behalf of the German Federal Government for over 40 years. This work is mindful of how China’s role in the world has changed – bilateral development cooperation ended back in 2010.

Since then, GIZ has been working together with China to solve global challenges. Although China is still a developing country according to OECD criteria, it is also the world’s second-largest economy, the largest emitter of CO2 and Germany’s most important trading partner. According to the Federal Government’s Strategy on China, the People’s Republic is a partner, competitor and systemic rival for Germany.

The primary objective is to jointly implement an effective environmental and climate policy with China. Another goal of cooperation is to promote the rule of law and legal certainty in China. This also benefits German and European companies. China is becoming increasingly interlinked with the rest of the world. The Federal Government therefore wants to harmonise standards and help align China’s activities abroad with sustainability principles.

In China, GIZ works for five German federal ministries, as well as for the European Union, foundations and Chinese public contracting authorities. This work focuses on the following priority areas:

• Climate, the environment and sustainable infrastructure
• Law and the rule of law
• Industry and trade

To this end, GIZ supports political dialogue between Germany and China on climate and environmental protection. Thanks to cooperation between political and academic experts, the energy transition is also being accelerated in both countries. Another goal is to provide regulatory and political impetus to facilitate China’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

A further priority area is to contribute German legal solutions in the context of Chinese legislative projects. GIZ organises symposiums, seminars and study trips for Chinese experts in the political, administrative and judicial branches. This strengthens European interests in China and improves the legal framework in areas such as environmental protection and climate action.

Fairness and reciprocity are to be promoted in business and trade relationships between Germany and China. Here, reciprocity means more than just mutual benefit – it refers to aspects such as establishing equal market access and equal rules for foreign and domestic companies. The two countries discuss these issues as part of dialogue platforms for experts from business and politics. Specific objectives include improving product safety for consumers and setting common standards for industrial data traffic. As digitalisation progresses, it is ever more important to create global framework conditions for open, sovereign and secure data handling.

China is becoming more and more important as a donor country in development cooperation. In this area, GIZ facilitates Sino-German dialogue on responsible global engagement. These principles are implemented jointly in triangular cooperation projects, with a view to achieving better results for people and the planet in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, in particular.

Due to China’s relevance in global politics and across multiple policy areas, GIZ also makes use of its proven country expertise in Germany. For example, recommended actions are formulated in studies, policy briefs and workshops, and German political stakeholders are strengthened in addressing China’s economic and foreign policy. For its advisory services, GIZ uses an extensive network that includes Chinese partner institutions, European business associations and chambers of commerce as well as international specialist institutions and think tanks.