SituatedonthebanksoftheRhineRiver,thePortofDuisburgstandsastheworld'slargestinlandport.ThearrivaloftheChina-EuropeRailwayExpressbolstereditsstatusasEurope'sgatewaytoAsia.
OnDecember28,2017,thefirstChina-EuropeRailwayExpress(Chongqing)traindepartedfromGuoyuanPort,headingtoitsdestination,Duisburg,Germany.(Photo/ChongqingDaily)
In2013,PresidentXiproposedtheBeltandRoadInitiative,invokingthehistoricalsymboloftheSilkRoadtoencouragepartnercountriestoengageincomprehensiveeconomiccooperation.
"ObviouslyhewasquitehappytoseethattheBeltandRoadInitiativefinallyreachedDuisburg,"recalledMarkusBangen,CEOofDuisport,whowaspresentduringXi'svisit."Formeinperson,thisisaveryimpressiveandveryemotionalmoment."
Overthepastdecade,thisrailwaylineconnectingAsiaandEuropehasmaintainedsteadyoperations,achievingcontinuousprogressandbridgingthevastEurasianlandmass.
"ItisaninstrumenttoconnectmuchmorepartsoftheChineseandtheEuropeaneconomyviatherailthanitistodaybydeepseaoraircargo,"Bangenadded."Soitisthelinkwhichcanhelpustoevenworkstrongerandtoughertogether."
ZhouShulin,ChairmanofBoardofYUXINOU(Chongqing)SupplyChainManagementCo.,Ltd.,highlightedthattraditionalseafreightcouldtakeweekstoreachEurope.Sinceitsinceptionin2011,theYUXINOUraillink,covering11,179kilometers,hasreducedtransittimetojust16days.
"ThisalsoplayedasignificantroleinattractingthelaptopindustryclustertosettleinChongqingatthattime,"Zhousaid.
WuSong,ViceGeneralManagerofChanganAutomobileLogisticsCenter,revealedthattheChina-EuropeRailwayExpresshasbecomethemaintransportationrouteforChanganAutomobiletoreachCISregionmarkets.In2023,approximately60,000vehicleswereexportedthroughthisrailway,covering60%to100%ofthecompany'smarketshareinseveralcountriesintheregion.
Germanemployee'soptimismfor'SilkRoad'continuity
TheChina-EuropeRailwayExpresshasextendeditscoveragebylinkingwiththeNewInternationalLand-SeaTradeCorridor.Thisconnectionfacilitatesdirectrailshipmentsandrail-seaintermodaltransportationbetweenEuropeandSoutheastAsia,linkingwithkeyinternationalportssuchasSingapore.
Moreover,anincreasingnumberofEuropeanluxurycars,wines,andagriculturalproductsarebeingshippedtoAsiaviathisrailroute,transformingitintoagenuinetwo-waycorridor.
ModernlogisticsgrowthinDuisburghasspurrednumerouslogisticscompanies,creatingnewjobsandrevitalizingthecityasithandlesvastquantitiesofgoods.
Inaninterviewin2023,MarkusTeuber,ChinaAffairsCommissioneroftheMayor'sOfficeofDuisburg,Germany,statedthatin2014,therewereonlyabout40ChinesecompaniesinDuisburg,butby2023,thisnumberhadexceeded120.
ThomasKrajnicki,aGermanemployeewithfouryearsofexperienceatYUXINOUGermanyGmbH,alsovoicedhisoptimismfortheenduringpresenceofthe"SilkRoad."Heanticipatesstrengthenedtiesandcooperation,furthersolidifyingthepartnershipbetweenDuisburgandChina,enablinghimtoworkuntilretirement.