News from Berlin – After the launch of the Textiles Partnership in Berlin on October 17th, Federal Minister Gerd Müller has been in China from October 23rd exploring the social and environmental values of the Chinese textiles industries.

Before his departure, Müller stated that, “China has achieved remarkable economic development. So environmental and social issues are becoming more and more important with a view to sustainable development. This is an area in which we want to work closely with China and explore new innovative partnerships in the areas of climate action, environmental and energy technology, and also food security”.

Müller met with 80 German business representatives from the textiles industry in Shanghai and on his final day visited a textiles factory that produces goods for a German sports manufacturer.

Müller felt inspired by the visit to the factory, stating that he was returning to Germany with a reassuring impression from the Chinese textile industry: "The knowledge that every piece of clothing begins with a person who must be able to live on the work that goes into it and whose health must be respected is gradually moving into the center of focus in the producing countries too. China is on the right track here and as one of the leading production locations for textiles is showing the way for others to follow."

This visit was highly successful in developing German-Chinese development cooperation partnership and the German minister agreed with Chinese trade minister Gao Hucheng, to develop a timetable for joint projects. China has become the world's biggest producer and exporter of textiles and garments and a partnership with Germany will allow both nations to learn from one another.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global