Shanghai Office

This year the partner city relationship between Hamburg and Shanghai is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The Hamburg Liaison Office in Shanghai, jointly sponsored by the Senate Chancellery, the Hamburg Business Development Corporation, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg Tourismus GmbH and Port of Hamburg Marketing, is responsible for maintaining these partnership relations on site.

The portfolio of duties and the development of this office, with eight employees plus temporary staff, reflect much of the dynamic atmosphere prevailing in the Chinese boom metropolis. In September 2006, the sinologist Lars Anke was appointed to the position of manager of the representative office, effectively making him the local representative of Hafen Hamburg Marketing. This is an important position, since the Port of Shanghai plays a pivotal role in China’s foreign trade, and hence also in the fortunes of the Port of Hamburg.

This is highlighted most impressively during the Transport Logistic China international trade fairs. Hafen Hamburg Marketing, together with many member companies, is every two years present at the fair in order to document the performance and efficiency of Hamburg’s maritime transport sector. The Shanghai office assisted with the HHM presentation and also helps organising a receptions. Last year, in 2010, more then 250 customers of the Port of Hamburg jointed this gathering. High-ranking guests from the Chinese and the German port and logistics sector as well as from political circles enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere while taking the opportunity to exchange information about the rapid developments taking place between the two cities, and indeed, the two countries. A development that the Hamburg office, in accordance with its stated brief, will continue to monitor, as well as making its valuable contacts work for the benefit of the Port of Hamburg.

Also the office activily supports member companies of HHM free of charge when it comes to consulting, business matching, translations or support in legal or governmental affairs. This is of utmost importance in a dynamic an quick changing market like China.

Hamburg is Europe’s leading seaport in China’s foreign trade. In addition to the media and public relations work in Shanghai, through press releases, press conferences, media events and contribution of information and articles to important media, which to a large extent is coordinated by Ms. Ye Miamiao, Manager of Public Relations in the Shanghai team, establishing and maintaining contacts to decision-makers in politics and business is also very important. In this field, the office can draw on the years of experience of Ms. Pan Hua, the Deputy Manager of the office responsible for Government Liaison, Port and Business. MsZhang Feibing, Ms. Cao Jizhen, Dr. Ding Ling, Mr. Zhong Yan and Mr. Klaus Schmitt are also part of the team, and it is their task to continually supply and disseminate information about Hamburg, which is a key to success – not least for our port.

In addition to dealing with issues relating to seaborne foreign trade and developments at the port, the members of the team are also involved in developing tourism, cultural and academic exchange programmes and rendering assistance to Chinese companies seeking to establish themselves in Hamburg. Assisting Hamburg-based companies by working closely with the AHK and looking after visiting delegations also form part of the team’s brief.

A very good example of positioning of the Port of Hamburg all over China ist the participation of the Shanghai office in forums and events all over the country. In the first half of 2011 the office joined events in the important Ports of Dalian and Tianjin in norther China and presented the development of the port of Hamburg in speeches and presentation. The same goes for river-port cities like Nanjing, Chongqing or Wuhan.