2008 - 2009

The industrial metropolis of Chongqing, located on the southwestern banks of the Yangtze River, increasingly caught the attention of the German public in May 2008.

In 2008, China proudly hosted the Olympic Games: Numerous BASF products were used in the construction of the sports venues, including the national stadium called the Bird’s Nest. (Photos: BASF)

The city of 5 million residents and an additional 27 million people in the immediate vicinity was the second stop in a Chinese-German series of events, in which BASF was also participating. German President Horst Köhler and Chinese President Hu Jintao had taken over the patronage of “Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together.” With this joint initiative, Germany was presenting concrete examples of sustainable urbanization.

The event series “Germany and China – Moving Ahead Together”

The interest in environmentally friendly concepts for construction and housing was therefore high when BASF first opened its pavilion in Chongqing’s city center on May 9, 2008.

Only three days later, on May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale erupted in the major cities of Mianyang, Deyang, Chengdu and Guangyuan in the Sichuan province. The natural disaster claimed numerous lives and caused immense damage. Governments, aid agencies, companies and private individuals around the world offered to help the Chinese. Immediately after the disaster, BASF also participated in the fundraisers for direct aid and the reconstruction of the destroyed regions.

A big draw were the Kid‘s Labs

Despite the devastating consequences of the earthquake, preparations for the Summer Olympic Games in China continued with great enthusiasm and the commitment of millions of people. Towards the end of 2008, a worldwide economic crisis swept through all industrial nations with terrible results.

During this bleak autumn of 2008, BASF adapted to a harsher economic environment more quickly than its competitors. The economic recovery started sooner than many had expected. And so BASF once again delivered top results in terms of sales and earnings in 2010.