From Ningde to Thuringia: A "Green Resonance" Between China and Europe in One Factory

2025-10-16 14:47:00
news

Source: Economic Information Daily

Authors: Li Hanlin, Liu Yang

In the midsummer of central Germany, in Arnstadt, Thuringia, a modern battery factory is operating in an orderly manner. Inside the workshop, robotic arms move with precision; blue battery cells undergo inspection, packaging, and module integration before being neatly loaded into containers. These power batteries are continuously shipped to cities such as Munich, Ingolstadt, and Stuttgart, where they are installed in the latest new energy vehicles of automakers like BMW, Audi, and Porsche, and then delivered to the European market.

This small town, steeped in medieval charm, was once an important base for Germany’s traditional automotive industry. Today, it has become a new landmark for China-Europe industrial cooperation—a power battery factory from Ningde, Fujian, has taken root here. Traditional manufacturing and green technology converge, depicting a vivid picture of China-Europe green cooperation.

China-Europe Collaboration Enters the Workshop

As Germany’s first power battery production base, the factory has a total investment of 1.8 billion euros and an annual production capacity of 30 million battery cells, which can power approximately 200,000 electric vehicles. The collaborative efforts of the Chinese and European teams are injecting new green momentum into Germany, a traditional manufacturing powerhouse.

In the component assembly area, German technician Amjad Abdullah is operating equipment to calibrate parameters. Beside him, Chinese engineer Qian Lei observes and takes notes, occasionally bending down to measure the positioning accuracy of various interfaces and reminding his German colleagues in English. After several rounds of adjustments, the welding quality is finally guaranteed.

Such collaborative scenes are common in the factory. "At first, we communicated through English drawings and gestures; now we can even say a few words of German when joking," Qian Lei said with a smile.

Abdullah admitted, "Initially, I had some prejudices about ‘Made in China’. But long-term cooperation has made me realize that my Chinese colleagues have sophisticated skills, rigorous operating procedures, and are also willing to share their experience."

In the early stage of the factory’s operation, CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) dispatched hundreds of employees from China to ensure the smooth progress of production. Today, as the training system for local German employees gradually matures, the number of Chinese employees is continuously decreasing. The integration of battery cell modules, system assembly, packaging, and shipment in the factory is now mainly completed by local employees.

"I have been working in Germany for nearly two years and will return to China at the end of the month—I feel a bit reluctant," Qian Lei said. He has become familiar with his German colleagues and has also passed on his experience in debugging key process parameters to them. "Now, the local team can independently carry out manufacturing work."

Two-Way Exchange of Technology and Concepts

From Thuringia, Germany, to the heart of Central and Eastern Europe, Chinese battery enterprises are accelerating the construction of a local production capacity network in Europe. CATL continues to advance the construction of factories in Hungary and Spain; Gotion High-Tech has laid out major investment projects in Slovakia; Sunwoda is building its first European factory in Hungary... These green forces are providing localized supply chain support for European automakers and promoting the collaborative upgrading of the industrial chain.

"We have brought a complete set of quality standards, management processes, and green concepts," said Caspar Spinnen, spokesperson of CATL Germany. The project combines the scale advantages of Chinese manufacturing with Europe’s innovative concepts in climate governance.

Spinnen gave an example: Through measures such as the use of green electricity, an intelligent energy management system, and the electrification of the factory area, the Thuringia factory has become CATL’s first overseas factory to achieve "carbon-neutral" operations. At the same time, the factory is cooperating with the Fraunhofer Institute to develop a battery life prediction model, aiming to improve battery durability and resource utilization efficiency. Extending battery life not only helps reduce energy consumption and emissions but also lowers maintenance costs.

In the view of Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a German automotive industry expert, Chinese enterprises have formed systematic advantages in the continuous R&D, technical accumulation, and large-scale manufacturing of battery cells and battery packs. Through the local operation of the Thuringia battery factory, this advantage is gradually being transformed into a driving force for regional economic development.

More and more local people regard the Thuringia battery factory as an engine for the revitalization of the small town. Frank Spilling, Mayor of Arnstadt, stated that a group of enterprises represented by CATL Germany’s factory have taken root in Arnstadt. Sustained investment and increased tax revenue are feeding back into the city’s development, driving the implementation of projects such as the expansion of residential areas and the construction of day care centers.

Colette Bös-John, Thuringia’s Minister of Economic Affairs, said that CATL’s local power battery factory project not only enhances the reliability, cost-effectiveness, and market competitiveness of new energy vehicles but also promotes the region to become a highland for battery production and R&D in Germany and even the entire Europe.

China and Europe Jointly Shape the Future Industry

Taking this small town in Thuringia as a microcosm, China-Europe green cooperation is injecting new momentum into the green transformation of Europe’s regional economy.

Michael Schumann, Chairman of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, pointed out that the successful landing of Chinese battery projects in Europe has become a "stable anchor" for China-Europe cooperation in the current uncertain international environment, demonstrating the cooperation potential of both sides in the green industry field.

"China has established leading advantages in battery manufacturing, vehicle intelligence, and charging ecosystems, while German automakers still maintain unique competitiveness in driving experience and industrial design. The two sides are not substitutes for each other in competition but complement each other’s advantages. Chinese and European automakers can fully achieve win-win results in the global new energy race," Dudenhöffer said.

Based on this consensus, Chinese-funded new energy vehicle enterprises are strengthening industrial cooperation with Europe and accelerating their localized layout in the region. BYD is building a complete vehicle factory in Hungary; Chery has established a joint venture with Spain’s Ebro to produce electric vehicles; SAIC Motor also plans to set up a complete vehicle base in Europe. Electric vehicle models of Chinese brands are increasingly favored by European consumers.

In this increasingly close China-Europe green industrial chain, the Thuringia battery factory is undoubtedly a symbolic microcosm. It witnesses the gradual movement of China-Europe industries towards synergy, drives the green upgrading of the regional economy, and serves as a vivid example of China and Europe jointly promoting green development.