The top 10 foreign-funded enterprises in terms of economic contributions in OVC are recognized at the valley's investment exchange roundtable for local German companies on Sept 14. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC), held an investment exchange roundtable for local German companies on Sept 14.

The event was attended by Siemens, Schneider Electric, and other German Fortune 500 enterprises in smart manufacturing, digital economy and artificial intelligence, 20 German-funded firms looking to set up branches in OVC, and another 20 foreign corporations.

The 10 foreign-funded enterprises in terms of investment and economic contributions in the valley were announced.

German experience in sci-tech innovation cultivation and Sino-German corporate cooperation opportunities and challenges in terms of smart manufacturing, sustainability and digital economy were discussed at the meeting, which was addressed by representatives of nearly 20 companies.

"We are an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software consultation company headquartered in Heidelberg. We have been expanding our Asia-Pacific businesses over the past two years and have established operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and other countries. We are expected to have 50 Chinese employees in 2024, and we hope to get in touch with Wuhan's local software development teams," said Peter Rhode-CHEN, general manager of CBS Inc.

Corporate representatives communicate face-to-face at the roundtable. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

"The Optics Valley of China impressed me with its high efficiency and simplicity in dealing with businesses. This is what we foreign companies need," said Zhong Mingyou, vice president of Linde Group Co's China operations.

The company, based in OVC, provides industrial gas for integrated circuit and display suppliers. "Our operations in Wuhan are going smoothly, and we install new facilities every year here. In the next 15 years, we hope our total investment in Wuhan will reach 1.5 billion ($208.95 million)," Zhong added.