In 2001, Taicang took the lead in introducing the German "dual system" education model and the city now has 18 "dual system" training institutions and has constructed a multi-level technical talent training system through secondary school, college, and into undergraduate university.

So far, more than 10,000 management-level and technician-level talents have completed their training there, thanks to the system.

Education Plus 2022, a vocational education exhibition jointly organized by Germany and China was held in Taicang in September and the nations plan to hold a skills competition in the near future, to draw on Germany's advanced experience in vocational education and to further promote the integration of industry and education, as well as the cooperation between schools and companies.

During the past three decades, Taicang has consistently seized business opportunities with the German companies based there and created an optimal business environment for them and its successes have been recognized by the authorities in both countries.

In November 2008, Taicang was named a "Sino-German Enterprise Cooperation Base" by China's Ministry of Commerce and by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and remains the only city to be recognized that way by both sides.

The county-level city is known today as the "Hometown of German enterprises in China" and also has a very good reputation in Germany's business community.