Thomas Schmidt, Saxony State Minister for Regional Development: Chongqing Full of Vitality

By Liu Dingrui/The World and Chongqing

“11 years ago， I had the opportunity to visit Chongqing for the first time， an impressive city that constantly offers me new and exciting experiences. Over the years， I have witnessed the citys remarkable progress and development， which has created a vibrant atmosphere”， said Thomas Schmidt， Saxony State Minister for Regional Development， in an exclusive interview with The World and Chongqing during his visit with his delegation to Chongqing from July 9 to 11.

Expectation for Deeper Exchanges and Cooperation in Various Fields Between the Two Sides

For a long time， Chongqing and Saxony have maintained close exchanges in such fields as economy， trade， culture， and logistics. In March 2019， both regions signed a memorandum of understanding on friendly cooperation. “Now， nothing can hinder us from engaging in direct communication and mutual visits”， Schmidt excitedly told the journalist. “I would like to visit Chongqing again as soon as possible to uphold the spirit of the memorandum of understanding on friendly cooperation， promote the implementation of more collaborative projects， further deepen exchanges and cooperation between our two regions in various fields such as industry， logistics， education， scientific research， and culture.”

Schmidt said， “Similar to Chongqing， which has a rich history spanning three thousand years， Saxony also possesses a cultural legacy that dates back several millennia. It is considered one of Germanys most culturally significant regions， boasting numerous ‘firsts such as the first steam locomotive in Germany and the pioneering ‘microchip based on 300-millimeter wafer technology.” He also emphasized that both regions are highly concerned about smart cities， agricultural transformation， microelectronics technology， and automotive industry transformation. At the Chongqing-Saxony friendly cooperation and exchange conference held on July 11， both sides had in-depth discussions and exchanges， gaining valuable insights from each other.

Joining Hands to Explore the Potential of Cooperation in Sci-Tech Innovation

“Regional development relies heavily on innovation， and Saxony attaches great importance to innovation development. We have established the European Digital Innovation Hub， Saxony， aiming to attract a diverse range of emerging digital technologies.” Schmidt believes that Chongqing is exhibiting a strong growth trajectory in science and technology innovation. This time， he mainly visited Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co.， Ltd.， Chongqing Liangjiang Coordinative Zone， AT&S （Chongqing） Co.， Ltd.， and Chongqing West Automotive Test Field. “Through communication and discussion， we have learned much valuable experience. We will bring the experience back to Saxony and look forward to exploring and uncovering more potential for cooperation with Chongqing.”

Since he has been engaged in environment and agriculture for many years， environmental protection is a major concern for him. “I see Chinas efforts and contributions to environmental protection. So far， we have carried out extensive cooperation in this regard. For instance， university and research institution collaborations， such as Dresden University of Technology and Chemnitz University of Technology， have successfully partnered with Chongqing University in areas such as doctoral student training， microelectromechanical systems， and environmental technologies， all resulting in significant achievements.” Notably， during this visit， Chongqing University and the Institute for Measuring and Sensor Technology in Waldheim of Saxony jointly signed a cooperation agreement to develop methods for measuring residual pharmaceuticals in water.

Inviting Friends from Chongqing to Visit Saxony

The world-class art and culture， well-known traditional crafts， characteristic music... Every year， all these are attracting a huge number of tourists to visit Saxony， one of the most appealing cultural areas in Europe. Schmidt said， there are many wonderful places in Saxony worth exploring， such as historic towns， big and small， each offering a unique and memorable travel experience. Thousands of magnificent palaces， castles， gardens， and manors have witnessed the history of Saxony， such as Pillnitz Palace with its Chinese-inspired decorations， the enchanting Moritzburg Castle， and the impressive Fort Augustus. These unique landscapes are truly worth exploring and experiencing.

Schmidt said， “Delicacies are tasted with enchanting scenery. Saxony holds a wine festival every August， during which major vineyards will be opened to the public. Additionally， we have the famous Dresden Christmas Stollen and specialty dishes like Leipzig Lerche. We warmly welcome friends from Chongqing to visit Saxony.”

Photo/Deng Siyuan