Wuxi entrepreneur a model ambassador for China-Germany ties

Cao Kebo (R1 back row) and other business executives take a group photo with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his German counterpart Angela Merkel, after a bilateral forum on innovation cooperation held in Berlin, June 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Germany earlier this month to highlight key cooperative efforts around technology and innovation, he was joined by a group of business executives among which was Cao Kebo, a Wuxi entrepreneur who for years has striven to forge business partnerships with German companies.

As president and CEO of Wuxi-based Jiangnan Mold & Plastic Technology Co., Cao was invited to speak at a bilateral forum on innovation and cooperation which was attended by both Chinese Premier Li and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in Berlin on June 1. Cao took the opportunity to describe the business relationship between his company and German auto giant BMW.

Although Cao's company may not have drawn the attention of China's big hitters such as Alibaba or Huawei, with over 20 years of experience in Sino-German relations the auto-related company certain holds authority when it comes to understanding the importance of such a cooperative endeavor.

Born in 1969, Cao started work at 18 before spending 15 years studying in Germany. The experience gave him a deep understanding of the country's auto industry and allowed him to forge a successful business venture that can boast an annual output volume that exceeds 3 million.

Cao believes investing enterprises should also bear a social responsibility and consequently initiated the Düsseldorf China Center in 2005, which acts a cultural bridge of exchange between the two countries. Upon Merkel's visit to Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, two years later, the pair met and discussed the progress of the project.