German Chancellor Visits China, Focusing on Sino-German Hydrogen Energy Innovation—Bosch Hydrogen Power Accepts Exclusive Interview with CCTV

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz paid an official visit to China from February 25 to 26, 2026.

During German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s official visit to our country, the green hydrogen sector became a focal point of attention for both sides. As an outstanding example of the shift from “technology transfer” to “joint innovation” between the two countries, Bosch Hydrogen Power Systems (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. recently accepted an exclusive interview with CCTV, sharing its four-year journey of deepening engagement in China and its vision of jointly building a clean hydrogen-powered future through Sino-German cooperation. As the world accelerates toward carbon neutrality, cooperation between China and Germany in the hydrogen energy sector is entering a critical phase of development.

Prime Minister Merz’s visit to China further underscores the strategic importance of the green transition in Sino-German bilateral relations. Bosch’s successful implementation of hydrogen-powered technology serves as a vivid testament to this trend. From the “Western Hydrogen Valley” to “Made in China 2.0”: The Chengdu-Chongqing Model of Joint Innovation Looking back to 2021, German industrial giant Bosch and China’s leading Qingling Motors jointly established a joint venture in Chongqing—the heart of the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Economic Circle—in the heartland of the region.

In just four short years, a globally leading R&D and manufacturing base for fuel cell systems has risen from the ground in this vibrant region—known as the “Hydrogen Valley of Western China.” In an interview with CCTV, a senior official from Bosch Hydrogen Power stated: “We’ve not only established Bosch’s largest fuel cell system R&D center in China, but we’ve also achieved large-scale mass production of power modules. These products are now powering commercial vehicles that shuttle across multiple provinces nationwide, serving as the core driving force behind China’s transition to greener commercial transportation.” Thanks to its abundant application scenarios and its strategic location as a key hub of the “China Hydrogen Corridor,” the Chengdu-Chongqing region has provided Bosch with an ideal testing ground and a vast market for its technological innovations. Currently, the Chengdu-Chongqing area has built 41 hydrogen refueling stations and deployed over 2,400 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Bosch’s Hydrogen Powertrain R&D Center has unveiled a number of integrated, high-efficiency solutions here, which not only accelerate the product iteration of downstream commercial vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells but also foster the clustered development of the upstream core component industry. “Technical Expertise” Meets “Broad Application Scope”: Redefining Collaborative Partnerships “China’s leading pace and diversity in application fields provide a powerful driving force for joint innovation,” a Bosch representative told CCTV reporters. The rich application scenarios in China and Germany’s cutting-edge technological expertise are deeply integrated here, enabling fuel cell systems and electrified products developed in China to achieve global competitiveness—making them “developed in China, leading the world.”

This collaborative model marks a profound transformation in the business relationship between the two countries—shifting from a unidirectional technology import approach to a localized, joint R&D initiative driven by market demand. Chinese and German engineering teams are working closely together, leveraging Germany’s strengths in precision manufacturing and system integration, as well as China’s expertise in application scenarios, supply-chain efficiency, and cost control, to co-create products that are highly efficient, reliable, and cost-competitive. Linking to the Global Market: China and Germany Join Forces to Tackle Climate Challenges. Looking globally, Germany anticipates increasingly relying on hydrogen imports in the future to meet its substantial industrial and transportation needs. Meanwhile, China—the world’s largest hydrogen producer with rapidly expanding green hydrogen capacity—is actively expanding the applications of hydrogen across diverse sectors—including transportation, chemicals, metallurgy, and even shipping—through strategic initiatives such as the “China Hydrogen Corridor.”

The collaboration between China and Germany in this field not only provides solutions for both markets but also paves the way for new approaches to global green development. From hydrogen-based chemical production and hydrogen metallurgy to marine fuel, the scope of Sino-German cooperation has already extended into broader industrial sectors. These collaborations will offer robust support for the green and low-carbon transformation of Chengdu-Chongqing—and indeed, the entire country. The growth story of Bosch Hydrogen Power is not merely a commercial success for Chinese and German enterprises; it also marks a new starting point for the two countries to jointly define future cooperative relationships, built on advanced technology and mature markets as they tackle global climate challenges.

On the occasion of Chancellor Merz’s visit to China, this “green model” demonstrates to the world that when two major powers move toward each other and join forces in innovation, they will unlock greater possibilities for tackling climate change and achieving sustainable development—and also open up a promising window of opportunity for even deeper Sino-German cooperation in the future.