The ninth Sino-German Automotive Conference opened on Wednesday in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, with more than 400 industry representatives from home and abroad gathering to explore new trends in the global automotive industry and discuss opportunities for cooperation.

Chen Jian, former vice minister of commerce of China, told the opening ceremony that China and Germany have maintained stable bilateral ties with fruitful results in mutually beneficial cooperation, adding that China's high-level opening up and high-quality development are creating an ultra-large market, offering broader development opportunities for enterprises from Germany and other countries.

Annette Sévery, German Consul General in Shenyang, noted the close collaboration between Germany and China in sectors such as artificial intelligence and green mobility.

The conference also features three thematic sessions on Sino-German investment project matchmaking, opportunities in the global expansion of China's automotive industry chain, and the role of digitization in building the automotive industry ecosystem.

As a pivotal hub for China-Germany automotive cooperation, Jilin Province has witnessed the steady expansion of this partnership. The province serves as a major base for FAW-Volkswagen, a joint venture established in 1991 between China FAW Group Co., Ltd. and German carmaker Volkswagen.

In late October, the Changchun-headquartered company celebrated a milestone as its 30 millionth car produced in China rolled off the assembly line at its plant in the city.

From initially producing a single Jetta model under one brand, FAW-Volkswagen has expanded its portfolio to 33 fuel-powered and new energy vehicles (NEVs) models, mirroring the evolution of bilateral auto cooperation from technology introduction and basic production to joint research and development and a shared industrial ecosystem.

The company's operations now span six plants in five Chinese cities, namely Changchun, Chengdu, Foshan, Qingdao and Tianjin.