Page 20 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 02.19

■ HAMBURG AND CHINA
THE NEW SILK ROAD IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR AXEL MATTERN (L.), JOINT CEO, PORT OF HAMBURG MARKETING AND DU XIAOHUI, CHINESE CONSUL- GENERAL
The New Silk Road connects cultures too
All the talk just now is about the New Silk Road as a rail link between China and Europe. With strong Chinese backing, the project encounters reservations, but also a positive response as a trade route supplementing sea and air links.
20 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | June 2019
DU Xiaohui, Chinese Consul-General in Hamburg, is keen on making his professional contacts aware of the Belt and Road Initiative. “I aim to promote what is in any case the good cooperation between Hamburg and China,” says DU Xiaohui. On his initiative, repre- sentatives of trade associations, the port industry and public bodies recently gathered for a symposium to discuss Hamburg’s role.
Silk was not the only product transported along the medieval silk road, so for instance were spices, glass and porcelain. Religion, culture, innovations and learning also spread alongside trade. Paper, medi- cine and fireworks reached Europe from China via Arabian countries. “The New Silk Road is also more than a transport route,” emphasizes the Consul-Gen- eral. It also represents an opportunity to bring the
countries along the route closer together to their mutual benefit.
A WEAKNESS FOR FISH ROLLS
DU Xiaohui took up his post only a few months ago. He nevertheless already feels at home on the Elbe. “Like my native city, Hamburg is a port city, very open and tolerant,” says DU Xiaohui. What he especially appreciates about his new home are the port, Hanse- atic tolerance and the fish rolls. German is no problem for this graduate in the language.
He brings eloquence to promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. With its port’s outstanding rail infrastruc- ture, Hamburg naturally forms part of this connection. “Fear of China often arises in Germany, but not in Hamburg,” is how the Consul-General reports on his
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