Austrian foreign minister visits Taicang to tour Austrian manufacturers

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger visited Taicang, Jiangsu province, on June 23 to tour Austrian-invested manufacturers and meet with Suzhou's top official to discuss deeper cooperation in smart manufacturing, digital economy, and green development.

Taicang, a city of under 850,000 administered by Suzhou, is home to 49 Austrian enterprises with a total investment of $195 million, according to Zhang Luoyin, deputy director of the Sino-German (Taicang) SME Cooperation Demonstration Zone Management Office. The companies span sectors including high-end equipment, smart warehousing, green materials, and precision instruments.

The minister's first stop was Starlinger Plastics Machinery (Taicang) Company. Founded in 1835, Starlinger is a pioneer in plastic weaving and recycling technology. Its Taicang branch, established in 2005, serves as the company's regional hub for Asia-Pacific operations. The minister toured the showroom and production facilities.

She then visited Ebner Industrial Furnaces (Taicang) Company, founded in 1948, and a specialist leader in energy-efficient heat treatment furnaces. Ebner has operated in Taicang since 2002.

The minister also met with Fan Bo, Party chief of Suzhou, with discussions centering on deepening exchanges in smart manufacturing, digital economy, and green development.

The visit comes as Austria and China mark 55 years of diplomatic relations. Taicang has long positioned itself as a destination for European manufacturers. It hosts over 560 German companies and has adopted the designation "home of German enterprises". Austrian investment has grown alongside that German presence, with companies now active across electric vehicles, digital transformation, and sustainable technologies.

Zhang said the city aims to maintain a stable, efficient, and talent-rich environment to attract and support European enterprises.