German chemical giant BASF has inaugurated its new world-scale Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China, described as a benchmark for sustainable and integrated chemical production fully powered by renewable electricity. The roughly $10 billion investment creates a major production hub employing over 2,000 workers and marks BASF's largest single investment, positioning the company deeper in the Asian market. This development comes as BASF has cut approximately 4,800 positions globally in recent years, with significant impacts on its European and German operations amid high energy costs and restructuring efforts. Alice Weidel of the AfD highlighted the contrast, noting BASF's billions invested in China while jobs are reduced at home. This case illustrates a broader pattern of Western deindustrialization: European policymakers have championed mass immigration as a demographic and labor solution, yet core industries face prohibitive energy prices, regulatory burdens, and costs that drive investment to China. Rather than filling skilled technical roles in chemicals and manufacturing, rapid immigration has often strained social systems without reversing industrial flight. Mainstream coverage focuses on BASF's 'green' achievements in China but rarely connects it to policy failures in Europe post-Russia energy shift. The Zhanjiang plant's advanced technology underscores how capital and expertise flow to more competitive environments, hollowing out Europe's industrial base.