CIIPA at HANNOVER MESSE 2026: A Platform for Dialogue and a Launchpad for Business in China
More and more Chinese companies are seeking access to the European market at HANNOVER MESSE. But German companies can also discover niches and new opportunities in China there. The Chinese investment agency CIIPA promotes this, as well as access to industrial regions in China that are still relatively unknown in Germany, at the trade fair. It offers new formats for business exchange—and, following the fair, a delegation trip to China focused on smart manufacturing.
Does the world’s largest industrial producer—to which UNIDO attributes 35 percent of current global industrial production in its reports—actually have a fitting place at the world’s largest industrial trade fair? You bet: China’s production technology is nowhere outside the mainland as comprehensively represented as at HANNOVER MESSE. In 2026, the exhibitor catalog generates an Excel list with exactly 638 exhibitors when you enter China as the country of origin.
But what opportunities are there for German companies in China? HANNOVER MESSE is also a unique resource of its kind for this. In addition to the industrial exhibitors, the Frankfurt-based investment agency CIIPA has contributed to this. Since its then-head XU Yaojun together with his experienced trade fair director Yang Haifeng , first registered a booth in 2016, the presence has expanded year after year.
Hall 11: A Platform for Business Dialogue – With Its Own Event Stage
The CIIPA booth has evolved into a true platform for business dialogue with China – and in 2026, it will even feature its own event stage. Despite a geopolitically challenging situation, the team led by the young CIIPA head Li Jiyang is committed to direct and personal exchange between companies.
In 2026, CIIPA will place a special focus on the role of artificial intelligence in industrial development. How AI is transforming value creation, the role Chinese AI systems play in global production networks, and how European companies can navigate these changes are current topics to be discussed in Hanover.
Top Topic: AI in Industrial Value Creation
On April 20, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., the “Invest in China” exhibition area will open in Hall 11. Speakers there will include Yu Guangsheng, Deputy Director General of CIPA in Beijing; Zhai Qian, Minister-Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Berlin; and Dr. Marc Wucherer, CEO of Lenze SE, an automation specialist that has achieved great success in China. In the afternoon, keynote speeches by Prof. Dr. Jan-Philipp Büchler (Dortmund University of Applied Sciences) and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster (DFKI) will explore opportunities for “hidden champions” and potential partnerships in industrial AI.
A reception hosted by CIIPA fosters intensive dialogue with the German automotive industry, serving as a prelude to the 10th German-Chinese Automotive Congress this fall in Wolfsburg.
Additionally, for the first time at the trade fair booth, a complementary service and consulting offering will be available for Chinese companies in Germany—covering topics such as compliance, tax and financial matters, labor law, data protection, PR, and branding.
Goal: Access to China’s industrial hubs
A key function of CIIPA’s presence in Hanover is to facilitate access to China’s numerous industrial hubs. In 2026, Hunan will serve as the guest province for the first time. This industrial region in central China, with its capital Changsha—home to 10 million people—has a total population of 68 million. It has transformed from a coal and agricultural hub into a high-tech cluster. Zoomlion, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of construction machinery and heavy-duty equipment, is based here—as is CRRC Zhuzhou, a leading manufacturer of rail propulsion systems and renewable energy storage technologies. Both are exhibiting in Hanover. The province of Shaanxi, less well-known industrially, is also showcasing how it has managed the transition from mining to a technology region with a focus on energy.
The CIIPA booth also features Beijing with its “Two Zones” initiative for tech investments, the Suzhou Industrial Park—one of the best-known and most successful Sino-German economic cooperation projects—and the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai.
Asia expert Thomas Kiefer has compiled some basic information about the provinces present in Hanover from his articles on the silkrail.de website: “Good trade fair preparation is the prerequisite for trade fair success.” For journalist Kiefer, who has also noted growing interest from Chinese media in Hannover as a trade fair venue, one thing is clear: “Visiting the trade fair in Hannover is a must for me and the best way to prepare for my next trip to China”.
The best place to understand China’s rapid industrial transformation is – in China
CIIPA also believes that the best way to understand China’s rapid industrial transformation is to experience it firsthand. The team is therefore committed to continuing these personal encounters even after the trade fair: through a new edition of an information and delegation trip focused on smart manufacturing in September 2026.
This trip is set to take interested parties to the hubs of smart manufacturing in early September: to Tianjin, Qingdao, Zhuhai, and finally to the investment fair in Xiamen. The dedicated team in Frankfurt also assists with organizing individual additional visits, such as to new contacts from Hannover.
A tightly organized program for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
The trip, in which the author also participated in 2025, was not a tourist excursion with a supplementary factory visit. It was a tightly organized program tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises. During company visits, meetings—including with CEOs who were surprisingly well-prepared for the German delegation—and accompanying trade events, participants were able to showcase their own technological expertise. From Hanover to China itself—an obvious next step in 2026 as well.