China's development experience injects new impetus into China-Austria local cooperation-- Interview with Manfred Eber, official of Austria's Graz

2026 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria. Manfred Eber, an official in charge of finance and infrastructure of Austria's city of Graz, said in a recent exclusive interview that China's development philosophy and practical achievements in sectors including new energy vehicle (NEV) industrial layout and smart infrastructure construction offer valuable reference. Drawing on his on-site observations from two visits to China earlier this year, Eber noted that Graz stands ready to deepen pragmatic cooperation with Chinese cities across multiple fields, and advance the steady and in-depth growth of China-Austria friendly ties through mutually beneficial local-level cooperation.

NEV industrial ecosystem offers new development insights

In February this year, Eber led a delegation from Graz to visit Wuhan in central China, where they inspected institutions including the Dongfeng Motor Global Innovation Center and Wuhan Central Hospital. He remarked back then that China's NEV industry is at least two to three years ahead of Graz, and the digital operation model of smart healthcare in Wuhan also left a deep impression on the delegation.

Eber pointed out that new energy vehicles represent a core development track for China, Austria and the world at large. Graz already boasts a mature automotive industrial cluster centered on Magna and its supporting supply chain enterprises, laying a solid foundation for industrial cooperation. In his view, the most valuable experience from China's NEV sector is that it goes beyond standalone vehicle production, and connects the full chain of manufacturing, R&D, battery energy storage, logistics, university talent training and local enterprises to build a coordinated and integrated industrial ecosystem.

"Graz is advancing large-scale photovoltaic projects and an airport area development project, and battery energy storage remains our current shortboard," Eber said. He noted that China has accumulated rich experience in energy storage technology R&D and industrial application, leaving broad room for cooperation between enterprises of the two countries. He also mentioned that exchanges in the smart healthcare sector need to be further deepened, and expected more targeted docking efforts in this regard in the future.

Two-way talent exchange consolidates people-to-people bonds

In the field of talent exchange and vocational skills training, Eber has always emphasized the core principle of two-way interaction. During his visit to Wuhan, the city of Graz reached consensus with the Wuhan Municipal People's Government on forging sister-city relations and deepening pragmatic cooperation across various fields. The 2nd district of Graz has also established friendly exchange ties with Wuhan's Hongshan District, putting in place an institutional framework for local-level talent cooperation.

"Student exchanges, university cooperation and the work of the Confucius Institute at the University of Graz all serve as important bridges linking the two peoples," Eber said. He specifically highlighted Austria's well-established dual vocational education system as a reference for China — young people receive hands-on training at enterprises while completing their school education, which enables them to gain frontline work experience earlier and accurately match the employment needs of industries.

Eber stressed that talent and vocational education cooperation should not remain only at the national level. Instead, it should be extended to districts, universities, enterprises and training institutions. Through direct docking, exchange visits and the implementation of small-scale pragmatic projects, cooperation can be more down-to-earth, truly enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, and consolidate the social foundation for people-to-people bonds.

Multi-sector coordination charts new blueprint for cooperation

In April this year, a delegation from Austria's Styria state — with Graz as its capital — visited China and traveled to multiple cities including Shanghai and Taicang to carry out exchanges in economy, trade, science, technology and culture, further expanding the scope of China-Austria local cooperation.

Eber said that in light of Graz's urban development orientation, future local-level cooperation between China and Austria can focus on three core areas. First, energy infrastructure: leveraging Graz's photovoltaic and airport projects to connect with China's energy storage technologies and industrial resources. Second, the automotive industry: building on Graz's existing automotive industrial cluster to promote deeper collaboration between Chinese and Austrian enterprises in NEV complete vehicles, auto parts and other fields. Third, logistics hub development: the Cargo Center Graz can serve as a core inland hub in Europe, receiving Chinese goods entering Europe via Croatian or Italian ports and covering the entire Central European market through the railway network.

In addition, cooperation among small and medium-sized enterprises, university research collaboration, cultural and art exchanges, and two-way tourism promotion can all serve as important pillars of local cooperation. Eber expressed the hope that bilateral cooperation will become more pragmatic and visible in the future, with more frequent enterprise docking, closer people-to-people exchanges, more vibrant two-way tourism and better communication targeting Chinese audiences, so that Graz can truly become an important bridge connecting China with Austria, Southeast Europe and the broader European market.

Standing at the historical juncture of the 55th anniversary of China-Austria diplomatic relations, Eber is full of confidence in the prospects of local cooperation between the two countries. He said that the China-Austria friendship has a solid foundation, and pragmatic local-level cooperation is the most dynamic component of bilateral relations. It is expected that both sides will take industrial docking as the driving force and people-to-people and cultural exchanges as the bond, continuously expand the breadth and depth of cooperation, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and deliver tangible benefits to the people of both sides.