Shipping: Hamburg: China’S European Merchandise Hub

From the Asia Times:

As sick merchandise winds blow across the Pacific from the Trump Administration’s conclusion to impose tough tariffs on Chinese products, across the Atlantic there’s a growing commercial human relationship betwixt the European Union (EU) states together with China. The nexus for this delineate of piece of occupation organisation together with a principal shipping hub rests inwards Germany’s port of Hamburg, a fundamental seaport for container cargo together with a historical entrepôt for goods together with services.

The showtime salvo of $34 billion inwards tariffs was fired inwards what could hold upwards a blistering merchandise state of war betwixt Beijing together with Washington, together with many diplomats together with delineate of piece of occupation organisation executives expression to the counterbalancing utilization played yesteryear the European Union, which saw bilateral merchandise alongside Communist People's Republic of China attain $573 billion inwards 2017, nearly double the figure from a decade ago.

Indeed, Mainland Communist People's Republic of China is forthwith the European Union’s second-largest export market, correct after the US. Equally, the European Union is China’s largest full merchandise market, only ahead of the United States.

Given China’s meteoric commercial rise, the statistics may non hold upwards every bit surprising every bit many may expect. For Germany, the commercial disputation towards the Far East has emerged every bit an economical fact. By 2016, Communist People's Republic of China became Germany’s virtually pregnant trading partner, only ahead of the US, alongside bilateral merchandise betwixt Beijing together with Berlin reaching $180 billion. Now clearly inwards the lite of Washington’s protectionist clashes alongside both Communist People's Republic of China together with the European Union countries, there’s a perceptible shift yesteryear to a greater extent than or less High German delineate of piece of occupation organisation together with political leaders to stance an unlikely alliance alongside Communist People's Republic of China every bit a “new normal” together with top-tier merchandise partner.

The managing manager of the Association of High German Chambers of Trade together with Commerce, Martin Wansleben, warned: “The US used to hold upwards a expert trading partner for us, but Trump evidently wants us to lose this partner.” Beijing forthwith poses every bit a paragon of gratis trade.

As of late every bit May, Chancellor Angela Merkel made her eleventh trip to Communist People's Republic of China inwards the yesteryear 12 years.

Corinna Nienstedt, manager of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce’s international department, explained her city’s fundamental utilization inwards Communist People's Republic of China trade: “For China, the Port of Hamburg is yesteryear far the biggest together with virtually of import port inwards Europe. The Chinese products come upwards inwards together with nosotros distribute the goods to all parts of Europe, peculiarly to Middle together with Eastern Europe together with the Baltic states.” She added, “Nine 1000000 containers come upwards to the port together with 1 3rd comes from China.”

Communist People's Republic of China Shipping together with COSCO merged together with it’s forthwith called COSCO Shipping; the European headquarters for this giant venture is inwards Hamburg. Taiwan’s Evergreen has a notable presence, too.

Hamburg’s mercantile roots appointment to the Middle Ages every bit this was a fundamental metropolis inwards the Hanseatic League, a mercantile spousal human relationship of Baltic city-states that stressed the benefits of gratis merchandise together with shared economical interests over formal political structures. The league extended throughout northern Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany to seaports inwards Estonia, Republic of Latvia together with Sweden. Hamburg all the same retains its formal title, “The Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg.”

It’s no coincidence that Hamburg is a signal along China’s ambitious together with controversial Belt together with Road Initiative linking Eastern Asia alongside Europe together with Africa.

Unlike Rotterdam inwards the Netherlands, which processes a higher book of traffic but primarily handles unsmooth oil, Hamburg focuses on container shipping. Though the superlative xx container ports inwards the globe are generally inwards East Asian locales such every bit Shanghai, Singapore together with Shenzhen, Hamburg is Europe’s third-largest container port....MORE

If interested encounter also:
"China’s strategic investments inwards Europe: The illustration of maritime ports"
Pepe Escobar — Why Europe is afraid of the New Silk Roads
A Tale of Two Cities: Hamburg together with Lubeck—Lessons inwards Trade, Geography together with Urbanism