WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies is advocating for an assessment of whether Chinese cars could be manufactured at Volkswagen's German plants. Speaking to the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung", the SPD politician noted that the increasing push of Chinese automakers into the European market is inevitable. However, his primary focus remains on securing employment at German VW plants and ensuring capacity utilization at production facilities. "We must find an answer for the employees on how this can be achieved."
The head of government, who also sits on the VW supervisory board, further told the newspaper that new models developed by VW in China - both independently and with Chinese partners - would soon hit the Chinese market. "This naturally raises the question of what perspectives arise from this and whether cooperation in Europe might also be possible," Lies said. "We must discuss this openly and examine whether opportunities could emerge for VW's production sites and the supply industry." He emphasized that VW employees have made an enormous contribution to preserving German plants. "Therefore, the goal is to ensure these plants operate at full capacity."
With 20 percent of the voting rights, the state of Lower Saxony is VW's second-largest shareholder after the holding company of the Porsche and Piëch families. Lower Saxony holds veto power over major decisions.
Minister President on China trip
Lies was on a multi-day trip to China last week. The Minister President's primary objective was to gather information on Volkswagen's China business and innovative transport concepts. VW operates more than 30 production facilities in China.
The SPD politician also told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" that he returned from his trip questioning how to handle future relations with China. "Is China a competitor against whom we must protect ourselves? Or must we find ways to participate in the successes that we ourselves are achieving there?" Lies said. "I believe we would be well-advised to be part of the development ourselves and to cooperate with China." He added that this would also require a revised national China strategy./len/DP/zb
