"If you have the potential to take a long-term approach in China, then you should go for it," explains VDMA President Dr. Thomas Lindner. "I think it's better to go into the lion's den yourself instead of waiting until the Chinese competition appears in your own den at some point," Lindner continued. In three to five years, according to the study, almost one in four German mechanical engineering companies will have R&D units in China.