German foreign minister ends China trip with tour in Guangzhou

On Tuesday, during the last stop on his visit to China, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he sees opportunities for constructive cooperation in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

Wadephul had previously met with senior Chinese officials in Beijing to exchange views and discuss how to expand cooperation between the two countries, according to a report from Global Times.

In Guangzhou, Wadephul visited Herrenknecht AG, a German tunnel boring machine company in Nansha district. He met the company founder, Martin Herrenknecht, and other senior executives to understand the company's operational status in China.

Next, the minister turned his attention to China's software capabilities, as he visited autonomous driving startup WeRide, founded in Guangzhou in 2017. He and his delegation went for a test ride in a driverless minibus.

Wadephul said that China is leading the globe in future technologies, emphasizing that Germany and Europe must strive harder to avoid falling behind.

At the end of his Guangzhou visit, the minister said that throughout the trip, he had felt that China, just like Germany, is eager to engage in serious and concrete exchanges, and therefore, both sides would continue to advance such dialogue.