China-Germany Cooperation: Improved IP protection environment boosts confidence of German companies

World
Europe

03:40

Germany is world-leader in clean energy technology. And huge demand from China is luring to many German firms. But their biggest concern is intellectual property, and if it will be protected in China. Ge Yunfei went to a small city in Guangdong Province to find out more.

Jieyang is a small city in southern China's Guangdong Province.

The city prospered on manufacturing stainless metal products over the past several decades but metal pollution is standing in the way for its future development.

SUN SENLIN, FOUNDER & CEO GUANGDONG DESUN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY "This industry naturally emits heavy pollution. But as the Chinese government is rapidly tightening its grip on environmental protection, we're now under heavy pressure. But it's also a big opportunity for business."

In 2015, seeing huge market potential, 25-year-old Sun Senlin wanted to build a waste water treatment system that could achieve the goal of full recycling.

Eventually, he found the technology made by a German company called MFT Technik.

But the Germans shut him out.

SUN SENLIN, FOUNDER & CEO GUANGDONG DESUN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY "Before us, a Chinese company had come to MTF for cooperation, but instead they copied their designs. So the people at MTF were on high alert when I tried to reach them."

While his misbehaving Chinese counterpart caused Sun a headache, he didn't give up.

SUN SENLIN, FOUNDER & CEO GUANGDONG DESUN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY "In 2015, I flew to Germany 6 times to show them our determination to protect IP rights. Like this prototype, they wouldn't allow for it to move to China in the first place. But our sincerity finally persuaded them, and now it's here."

Now Sun and his German partners have built the first and largest full-recycling membrane system for waste water treatment in China. He hopes this could be a good start for further cooperation.

GE YUNFEI JIEYANG, GUANGDONG PROVINCE "Intellectual property protection may be the biggest concern for German small and medium enterprises in their cooperation with their Chinese counterparts. In the meantime, more and more Chinese companies come to realize that IP protection is the foundation of a long-standing and healthy cooperation."

Four years ago in Berlin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel witnessed the singing of a green power project located in Jieyang.

Now 56-year-old engineer Bernard working for the German company Alba is helping to build that project.

BERNARD KEARSLEY-PRATT CHIEF TECH OFFICER, ALBA RISING GREEN FUEL "This project is extremely important. It's the next step. This is a class of third generation technology. Landfill is the first, Incineration is the second generation, so we are trying to maximize the benefit of the west."

The technology can recycle 98% of solid life waste into clean and green fuel that can be used for coal power plants, reducing 70% of the carbon emissions.

To protect their cutting-edge technology, Alex Mao, the CEO of Alba Asia said they signed exclusive partnerships and confidentiality agreements with all Chinese suppliers and construction companies.

But the most important thing is to keep evolving.

ALEX MAO, CEO ALBA GROUP PISA LTD. "We're Chinese, we all know that Chinese are fast learners. But on the other hand, we're confident. If you can put more efforts on your R&D, continuously improve your technology, you can always take a leading position."

Mao said soon, China may need 300 more green power plants of this kind. With an improving environment of IP protection, it's an opportunity that German companies cannot miss. Ge Yunfei, CGTN, Jieyang in Guangdong Province.