On November 15, Shen Xiaoming, Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, met in Haikou with Ralf Brandstätter, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, and Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China (VGC).

Shen Xiaoming, Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, meets in Haikou with Ralf Brandstätter, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, and Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China (VGC) on November 15. [Photo by Song Guoqiang/Hainan Daily]

Shen welcomed the guests. He reviewed China's history of reform and opening up in the past 40 years, explained the special role of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in the reform and opening up in the new era, and went into detail about the unique advantages in developing new energy vehicles (NEV) in Hainan. He said that reform and opening up has always been our master key to solve difficult problems for the last 40 years or so. At present, Hainan is striving to become a paradigm of China's reform and opening up in the new era according to the requirements of the central government. Hainan FTP will take the lead in opening wider to the outside world. It is hoped that VGC could seize the opportunity, leverage the policy advantages of the FTP, and achieve new development in China.

Brandstätter said that China is a dynamic market and the second home to Volkswagen Group. The construction of Hainan FTP is a major strategic initiative of China's new round of opening up. Supported by the Chinese mainland and facing the Southeast Asian market, the FTP has unique geographical and policy advantages, and provides a favorable environment for businesses and talents in Hainan. VGC is impressed by Hainan's efforts in ecological conservation and low-carbon development, and will pay further attention to the progress of the FTP and discuss new opportunities for cooperation.

Provincial leaders Luo Zengbin, Ba Teer, and Ni Qiang attended the meeting.