Welcome to the German Chamber of Commerce in China!

Amendment to the Bylaws of the German Chamber of Commerce in China

In order to ensure the efficiency and success of the German Chamber of Commerce in China an amendment to its Bylaws was successfully passed by its members during the Annual General Meetings of its offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai in April.

The amendment implements the following changes in the Chamber’s structure:

• Reducing the size of the National Board of Directors from 12 to 6 members.
• The positions of the Chairman and the Executive Director of the National Board no longer exist. In their place the relevant Chairman and the Executive Director of the Board of Directors of the region in which the National Board meets, will act as spokesperson and Executive Director for the National Chamber respectively.
• Redefining the roles of the individual Regional Chambers; the Beijing office is now in charge of the political and economic representation of the National Chamber in Germany and China.
• Including Hong Kong as a Honorary Member of the National Board.

In order for the amendment to be accepted, the three Chambers of Commerce in China were required to pass a two-thirds majority of the combined voting members present or represented at the General Meetings of all the Regional Chambers.

For more information please contact your regional Chamber office.

Name & Structure

The German Chamber of Commerce in China was founded on the 5th of November 1999, on the occasion of German Chancellor Schröder´s visit to China and serves as a contact point for business activities between Germany and China.

Since then, the Chamber has grown rapidly into one of the biggest foreign Chambers of Commerce in China with more than 1650 members, the majority of which are located within the major economic centers of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The German Chamber of Commerce in China supports and promotes the interests of the German economy and their Chamber members.

Membership to this nationwide Chamber (in the following entitled “National Chamber”) is acquired through membership to one of the regional German Chambers in Beijing, Shanghai and South China.

The Managing Directors of the Regional German Chambers are at the same time the Managing Directors of the respective Delegations of German Industry and Commerce in China. The office of the National Chamber is located within the Beijing office, whereas the offices of the Regional Chambers are located within the respective Delegations.

The Board of the National Chamber is equally composed of members of the Boards of the Regional Chambers. All members of the Regional Chambers are automatically members of the National Chamber. The statute of the National Chamber can be found on the website.

Members of the Regional Chambers are entitled to Chamber services from all other Regional Chambers and vice-versa, as well as from the office of the National Chamber.

Services of the National Chamber

• The National Chamber officially represents the general, commercial and economic interests of German industry and business in China, in line with the Central Government in Beijing, as well as in relation to political institutions, business and other organizations in Germany.

• Furthermore, The Office of the National Chamber actively maintains a continuous exchange of information concerning business in China with the above-mentioned institutions and which also goes beyond lobby activities.

• The office of the National Chamber undertakes administrative and organizational activities within the framework of the Chamber’s statute and coordinates these activities with the Regional Chambers.

• Members receive information concerning the activities of the National Chamber as well as China’s economy and policies. However, the latter information is not provided by the Regional Chambers.