Two German initiators of the DIHT-ACFIC Partnership Project visited China from July 10 to 16 on invitation of ACFIC. Geerd Woortmann, director of the DIHT Training Department, and Walter Kiefer, senior advisor and former general manager of SEQUA, met in Beijing with ACFIC president Jing Shuping and executive vice president Zhang Xuwu as well as representatives of the ACFIC Liaison Department. Woortmann signed an agreement with ACFIC to extend the first phase of the project until February 29, 2000. Negotiations about a second project phase will start later this year.

Woortmann and Kiefer participated in a chamber workshop organized by the Shenyang General Chamber of Commerce, and paid visits to the chambers of Liaoning province and Qingdao city in Shandong, where they also met with private entrepreneurs. The two leaders expressed satisfaction about the progress of the project and suggested to further intensify mutual exchange of information.