The foundation of the German-Chinese Center (DCZ) in Beijing by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in 2015 marked the beginning of a process that is to intensify the collaboration between the two countries in agricultural matters. It will also provide a platform where both countries can enter into a dialogue and establish bilateral relations. The DCZ's mission is to deepen the cooperation between both countries at the political level, promote the dialogue between experts, pool cooperations at the scientific level and align them strategically as well as further the overall economic cooperation between the two countries. On the German side, the Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) has been tasked with putting these objetives into practice. The DLG, on the other hand, (German Agricultural Society) is in charge of coordinating the agricultural and food industries.
The DCZ is also home to a BMEL project, a decentralized project which started in 2004 and dedicates itself to “Consultation services on a German-Chinese prototype biogas plant”, providing demonstrations of German biogas technology and consultation on how to operate the facility.
In another approach, the DLG acts to promote the transfer of knowledge and economic cooperation. In this context, the Society has been hosting an annual conference on renewable energies for six years now. This Sino-German BioEnergy Annual Conference has become a leading platform in its field. The venue of this annual show alternates , the conference welcomes more than 500 experts from all over China, representatives and decision makers from 32 Chinese provinces as well as German and Chinese manufacturers of biogas plants as well as researchers and experts. This year's conference will take place on 13-14 October in Jinan, the capital of the Shandong Province. The conference topic will be ‘Clean Energy for sustainable rural development'.
Last year, 40 German and Chinese companies had the opportunity to present their products and services in the entrance hall to the conference. “For the Chinese biogas industry, this conference presents a high-calibre platform for sharing knowledge and information,” says Martin Botzian, head of DLG's International Projects department. “The exhibiting companies report a growing interest in renewable energies and relevant topics as well as in how to implement such projects in China.”
The upcoming conference will be opened by a representative of the BMEL bio energy department and by the General Director of the MoA science and technology department. On the agenda is also a visit to the biogas plant near Jinan.
