Regarding the possibility of Volkswagen AG opening its idle European factories to Chinese car manufacturers, a spokesperson for Germany's IG Metall union stated on the 11th that the union maintains a cautiously open stance, believing that such cooperation cases could be rigorously evaluated under specific safeguards. The spokesperson emphasized that the union does not entirely reject such concepts, but any cooperation must serve as a supplement to Volkswagen's independent industrial strategy and must not replace the company's established investment plans and vehicle development projects. Currently, German industry is facing dual pressures of weak demand and high operational costs. To effectively reduce expenses and avoid closing low-capacity plants, Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume is actively evaluating various countermeasures, with establishing cooperative relationships with Chinese automakers emerging as a key alternative. Concurrently, Chinese car manufacturers such as BYD and Geely are steadily advancing their European market layouts. Against this backdrop, local German government officials have also signaled positive views on potential Sino-German automotive industry cooperation. Saxony's Economics Minister Dirk Panter noted that day that Volkswagen's Zwickau plant in eastern Germany could be a candidate for cooperation with China. Panter stressed that in the face of industry transformation, it is necessary to adapt to the times and view China as "an opportunity for Zwickau"; rather than passively losing industrial value in competition, it is better to proactively introduce cooperation to further consolidate Saxony's industrial technical expertise and safeguard local production capacity.
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