At the "Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe" and after a conversation with Liu He, Deputy Prime Minister of China, responsible for economy and finance, Hamburg's Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher emphasized Hamburg's special role in China's New Silk Road ("Belt and Road Initiative"), which will connect Europe and Asia more closely than ever before.
The Belt and Road Initiative
Hamburg's first mayor Peter Tschentscher: "The Belt-and-Road initiative strengthens the connection between China and Europe. The project has great potential for international trade and the global economy as a whole. As a traditional center of European-Chinese trade, Hamburg can also be a natural node and endpoint of the New Silk Road. More than 30 freight trains are already running between Hamburg and 27 Chinese cities every week."
The New Silk Road was also a focal point of the conversation between Deputy Prime Minister Liu He and Mayor Tschentscher in the Hamburg City Hall. Mayor Tschentscher: "With Deputy Prime Minister Liu He, the most important Chinese economic and financial politician came to Hamburg. We are pleased by his interest in our business location and the companies of Hamburg. We can contribute our experience in logistics to the implementation of the Silk Road Initiative."
China meets Europe
Concerning trade relations with China and the "Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe", Tschentscher said:" The Hamburg Summit is the most important annual meeting for the deepening of the European-Chinese trade relations. Hamburg is the German gateway to China. More than half of the German-Chinese trade takes place via the Port of Hamburg. Some 550 Chinese companies have a branch office in Hamburg, some 650 Hamburg companies are active in the China trade business, and an open dialogue on free trade will strengthen Hamburg's position as a hub of international trade."
Two-day conference
Hamburg's mayor Tschentscher opened the most important European-Chinese business conference on November 26. It was the eighth "Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe". Today, Chinese guest of honor at the two-day conference, Deputy Prime Minister Liu He, was invited to a meeting with Hamburg's First Mayor. Liu He is one of China's most important politicians, according to President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. He is a central figure in China's economic and financial policies. In this role, he is also responsible for China's global trade relations.
More than 550 Chinese companies are based in Hamburg - including major international logistics companies such as COSCO Shipping Lines, but also Chinese financial institutions like the Bank of China or the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). More than 650 Hamburg companies, many of them medium-sized, have business relations with China.
Hamburg is China's gateway to Europe. More than half of Germany's foreign trade with China passes through the Port of Hamburg. The Hanseatic city sees itself as the central terminus and hub of the "New Silk Road" within the framework of the "Belt and Road Strategy" of the Chinese government.
Source: Hafen Hamburg