At the "China meets North Rhine Westphalia (NRW)" congress on 4 July 2018, the German newspaper Rheinische Post provided a platform for representatives from German and Chinese businesses, as well as political, economic and scientific experts. Together they discussed China's development and German-Chinese relations. As a global market leader for automotive interiors with corporate headquarters in Shanghai and its European headquarters in Neuss, Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) is also an attractive employer in the NRW area.

This is the third time the "China meets NRW" congress has been held. Under the motto "Start it up", the Rheinische Post focused on the startup and foundation scene. Discussion topics included China's progressive development toward becoming a high-tech country, and the opportunities which this development opens up for German companies, especially startups. The development of the Silk Road and China's pioneering role in the field of e-mobility was also a subject which was discussed.

Gunnar Büchter, Director of Procurement Europe & South Africa for YFAI, took part in the podium discussion for the North Rhine Westphalian economic development agency NRW.Invest. Together with Petra Wassner, CEO of NRW.Invest and other industry representatives, he spoke about the latest trends in the field of Industry 4.0 and mechanical engineering.

"At YFAI we are involved with current Industry 4.0 topics and are already using cobots in pilot projects. Innovative ideas from the startup scene are therefore very interesting for us", emphasized Büchter.

In addition, Professor Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy for the state of North Rhine Westphalia as well as Feng Haiyang, the Chinese Consul General in Düsseldorf, were also invited to the congress. Consul General Feng stressed the importance of intercultural understanding as the basis for stable business relationships.