Connected Futures: Sino-German Innovation Dialogue

Event Details

Welcome to Berlin!

About:

Berlin has always been — and remains — a city that welcomes talented individuals from around the world. To strengthen the cooperation and exchange between the innovation ecosystems of Berlin and Asia, as well as to facilitate the transformation and application of cutting-edge technologies within Berlin's key industries, the AsiaBerlin Summit 2025 will be hosted by AsiaBerlin from November 24–28 in Berlin.

As part of this summit, Berlin Business Desk China and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin will co-host a Satellite Event focused on Sino-German collaboration in science and technology innovation. The event also receives strong support from the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public enterprises, Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany (CHKD), Berlin Partner, and Humboldt Innovation. We sincerely thank all partner organizations for their contributions.

Join us on this cross-border innovation journey to explore new opportunities for international cooperation. Don't miss your chance to connect, collaborate, and co-create with ecosystems shaping the future of global innovation.

Who Will Be Covered

This initiative brings together business communities and startups from both Berlin/Germany and China, fostering mutual exchange and collaboration. It particularly welcomes Berlin-based professionals interested in business engagement with China, as well as Chinese entrepreneurs and innovators seeking to expand partnerships and opportunities in Germany.

Key industry focuses include E-Mobility, Life Sciences, and AI-empowered Technologies.

Speakers

Dr. Jens Homann

Head of Unit Foreign Trade, European Economic Policy, Development Cooperation at Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises (SenWEB)

Guo Liang Ma

First secretary, Economic and Trade department at Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Federal Republic of Germany

Timon Rupp

Vice-President of Asia Berlin Forum e.V.

Yiran Li

Chief Representative China at Berlin Business Desk China (BBDC)

Wolfgang Hirn

Founder of CHINAHIRN

Dr. Sarah Yu

COO at TSIT Europe

Volker Hofmann

Managing Director of Humboldt-Innovation

Dr. Isabelle Harbrecht

Strategic Partnership Manager Asia/Pacific at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Ning Wang

President & CEO of Yinlun Europe Holding B.V.

Prof. Dr. Nicola Pinna

Professor (W3) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Dr. Ulrich Scheller

CEO of Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH

Anna Wiese

Manager International Startups at Berlin Partner

Lydia Li

Deputy General Manager at Messe Berlin China

Blues Pi

Chief Strategy & Global Business Development Officer at Dreame Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Anvar Atash

Co-Founder of SirDash

Michael Bose

Chairman at aBB automotive BerlinBrandenburg e.V.

Nail Valiyev

CEO & Founder of Youzu AI

Yi Wang

Chairman at Sichuan Yunxiangtianxia Technology Co., Ltd

Dr. Shaoqing Ying

CEO & Founder of Borochi Climate Solutions GmbH

Timon Rupp is Vice-President of the Asia Berlin Forum e.V. and Managing Director at Cambridge Innovation Institute Germany, a leading global operator of innovation ecosystems connecting startups, corporates, and investors. With 18 years of professional experience building innovation-driven businesses in markets such as China, Korea, and Japan, Timon brings a unique blend of perspectives from his work as a corporate executive, startup founder, and ecosystem architect.

Throughout the past decade, he has been dedicated to designing, scaling, and curating global innovation ecosystems with measurable impact. His work centres on enabling cross-border collaboration, accelerating technology adoption, and creating environments where diverse stakeholders can innovate and grow together.

Dr. Sarah Yu earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Hamburg, Germany. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of TSIT GmbH, where she is fully responsible for the company’s operations and strategic management in Europe, overseeing its subsidiaries in the Netherlands and Hungary.

About TSIT：

TSIT GmbH is a comprehensive supply chain service company deeply rooted in the European market, specializing in providing localized, integrated solutions for enterprises from China and other parts of Asia. The company’s core business covers international logistics, customs brokerage, bonded warehousing, bonded processing, and distribution services. Its service scope spans multiple industries, including new energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries, automotive components, electronic products, cross-border e-commerce goods, and general industrial products. Leveraging its well-established European network and strong local integration capabilities, TSIT actively collaborates with major European manufacturers, e-commerce platforms, and industry partners. The company is committed to helping Chinese enterprises efficiently enter and expand in the European market, promoting industrial chain internationalization and sustainable development.

Isabelle Harbrecht, the Strategic Partnership Manager for the Asia/Pacific of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, holds a PhD in Sinology. She lived in China for ten years, working in international development and educational cooperation. Upon returning to Germany, she served as Head of the Northeast and Central Asia Department at the Hanns Seidel Foundation, where she oversaw projects in China, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia and Central Asia. As Director of the International Office at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, she was responsible for all aspects of internationalisation, developing the institution's first internationalisation strategy. Isabelle Harbrecht studied East Asian Regional Studies at the University of Cologne, earning her PhD from Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in 2019.

Nicola Pinna received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris) in 2001. He has since worked at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (Berlin), the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Potsdam), the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, the University of Aveiro (Portugal), and the Seoul National University (Korea). In July 2012, he joined the Department of Chemistry of the Humboldt University of Berlin as professor of inorganic chemistry. From July 2016 to April 2021, he was also Head of the Department. In 2021, he co-founded BC Berlin Catalysts GmbH. His research activity focuses on the development of novel materials for energy and environmental applications.

He began his career by graduating in Biochemistry from the University of Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1988. He then pursued his PhD, first at the Central Institute of Molecular Biology in Berlin-Buch (1990–1992) and later at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (1996). After a postdoctoral scholarship at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, he moved into project management and public relations on the Berlin-Buch campus. His roles there evolved from developing the Life Science Learning Lab, to heading the division for Campus Public Relations, and ultimately to becoming the Managing Director/CEO of the campus management company in 2008, a position he still holds. He has also held honorary posts, including on the board of the German Biologists Association, and as deputy head of Science on Stage Deutschland.

Blues Pi, a long-time automotive executive and cross-border innovation project leader, his career has encompassed the automotive vehicle, supply chain and mobility sectors. He has assisted numerous global automotive enterprises in successfully launching new businesses or strategic cooperation projects in China and the APAC region, while supporting prominent Chinese automakers and suppliers in expanding into overseas markets, including developed markets in Europe, the United States, Japan and other regions.
As the 0-1 initiator and core leader, he spearheaded the establishment of the joint venture between Magna and BAIC BluePark, with many of his key team members becoming core backbones of leading Chinese NEV players (such as Li Auto and Xiaomi).
The company was invited by the founder of UCAR Group to assist in the construction of an intelligent custom vehicle and to support ecological projects centred around UCAR's largest self-owned fleet mobility scenarios in China.
As a core founding team member, he established Europe's first NEV startup focused on urban mobility and set up a joint venture with one of China's leading automakers, primarily targeting the European market for light electric commercial vehicles.

Following his education in Business Administration and Engineering (Dipl. Ing. oec.), he began his career in 1986 in the economic administration of East Berlin, focusing on science and technology.
After German reunification, he transitioned to the private sector, holding various leadership roles until 2017 in medium-sized companies specializing in education, plant engineering, and the automotive supply industry. Concurrently, he served as Honorary Managing Director of the Berlin Entrepreneurs' Association (1995-2002), where he established international working groups for Central and Eastern Europe and led the first all-German business delegation to Cuba.
Since 2014, he has been an Honorary Board Member of Most-Brücke von Berlin nach Mittel- und Osteuropa e.V. From 2018, he was a member of the Management Board of aBB automotive BerlinBrandenburg e.V., where, until October 2025, he was responsible for internationalization and business development. As General Project Manager, he led the initiation and implementation of the "Berlin Chinese Automotive Network (BeCAN)" and "BeCAN 2.0" internationalization projects.
His career demonstrates deep expertise in economic development, international relations, and leadership across public and private sectors.

Agenda

November 27, 2025

Opening Remarks

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Registration

4:00 PM - 4:05 PM

Opening Remarks from Senweb, Berlin government

Dr. Jens Homann will attend the event and deliver remarks on behalf of SenWeb

Dr. Jens Homann

4:05 PM - 4:10 PM

Opening Remarks from Chinese Embassy

Mr. Ma, Guoliang will attend the event and deliver remarks on behalf of the Chinese Embassy

Guo Liang Ma

4:10 PM - 4:15 PM

Opening Remarks from AsiaBerlin

Timon Rupp will attend the event and deliver remarks on behalf of AsiaBerlin

Timon Rupp

Keynote

4:15 PM - 4:30 PM

Keynote speech by Wolfgang Hirn from CHINAHIRN

Wolfgang Hirn, the Founder of CHINAHIRN, will deliver a keynote speech

- Topic: "Der Tech-Krieg China gegen USA – Und wo bleibt Europa"
(The Tech War Between China and the US – And Where Does Europe Stand?)

Wolfgang Hirn

4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Keynote speech by Dr. Sarah Yu from TSIT Europe

On behalf of TSIT，Dr. Sarah Yu will deliver a keynote speech

- Topic: "From Going Global to Growing Local: Deep Integration in Germany’s Innovation Ecosystem"

Dr. Sarah Yu

4:45 PM - 4:55 PM

Keynote speech by Volker Hofmann from Humboldt-Innovation

Volker Hofmann, the Director of Humboldt-Innovation, will deliver a keynote speech

- Topic: "From egosystem to ecosystem - for entrepreneurs"

Volker Hofmann

4:55 PM - 5:00 PM

Break

Brief Break for Panel Seating Arrangement

Panel & Pitch

5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

Panel Discussion

Dr. Isabelle Harbrecht will moderate a roundtable discussion exploring new models of Sino-German cooperation and innovation, focusing on market development in Germany and international expansion strategies in both countries

- Topic: "Internationalisation as a Driver for Innovation"

Dr. Isabelle Harbrecht

Anna Wiese

Ning Wang

Prof. Dr. Nicola Pinna

Dr. Ulrich Scheller

5:45 PM - 6:30 PM

Project Pitch / Needs Launch

Automotive BerlinBrandenburg, Borochi, Dreame, Messe Berlin China, Yunxiangtianxia, SirDash and Youzu AI will take the stage to introduce themselves, presenting their expertise, innovations, and collaboration wishes

Lydia Li

Blues Pi

Anvar Atash

Michael Bose

Nail Valiyev

Yi Wang

Dr. Shaoqing Ying

6:30 PM - 7:45 PM

Networking

Berlin Business Desk China (BBDC)

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