Unbreakable bond spans decades

Deep impression

For some Germans, the living experience in Wuhan has left a deep impression. Andrea Hoecker, a 30-year-old who has lived and studied in both Wuhan and Duisburg, said that Wuhan boasts many beautiful tourist attractions and stunning night views.

"The city is vibrant at night, offering opportunities to dine out, watch movies, participate in square dancing, sing karaoke, play mahjong, go shopping, get a haircut, and more. There are places to eat and drink around the clock, an experience she had never encountered before in Germany," she said.

Patrik Song, a German who married a woman from Wuhan, expressed that one of his most memorable experiences was visiting the night markets in Wuhan. He found it incredible to see a variety of delicious foods being prepared right in front of him.

"A warm night, having a cocktail and trying all kinds of foods that I never even saw in my life before was one of the greatest things I was able to experience in my life," he said. "And even here, people were so eager and happy to talk and know more about me — the thirst for knowledge and contact with people from other countries is huge and I would love to spend even more time in Wuhan."

As industrial cities, Wuhan and Duisburg have both made efforts to seek economic transformation and high-quality development. The China-Europe Railway Express, an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative, has become a significant driving force for their development and cooperation, especially after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the city 10 years ago.

Xi visited Duisburg on March 29, 2014, during his trip to Germany. While welcoming the arrival of a freight train from China, Xi expressed hope that Duisburg would play a greater role in promoting cooperation between China and Germany, and China and Europe.

Link, who greeted Xi during the visit, said that with the train connections, Duisburg benefits directly from the Chinese projects and involvement in the region.

"Since Xi's visit, Duisburg has become an important logistics hub, with an increasing number of Chinese companies investing there. I believe that in the future, we will have even greater potential for cooperation with China," he said.

In 2015, the express starting from Wuhan extended its European terminal to Duisburg. Over the past decade, Duisburg has become the node with the widest coverage, the most frequent trains, and the highest volume and value of goods among the Western European routes for the China-Europe Railway Express.

At present, a majority of China-Europe freight trains run into the Duisburg Intermodal Terminal, where containers with signs of China-Europe Railway Express are loaded by gantry cranes between trains, trucks, and barges every day, before setting off on the next leg of their journeys.

Li Zhuo, who is in charge of Chinese business development at Contargo Group, the company that operates the terminal, said the "good location" of Duisburg and the flexibility of different transport methods has made more Chinese clients choose Duisburg as their logistics transfer hub.

Sha Pengjun, general manager of Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics, said that in July 2015, the China-Europe Railway Express (Wuhan) was inaugurated with regular services to Duisburg, and has since maintained stable and regular operations. Until now, a total of 797 trains have been operated, carrying 65,400 20-foot equivalent units, including 426 outbound trains and 371 inbound trains.

Currently, outbound shipments mainly consist of optoelectronic products, mechanical equipment and components, automotive parts, and clothing, while inbound shipments mainly include cosmetics, auto parts, mechanical equipment, complete vehicles, and milk powder, she said.

The China-Europe Railway Express (Wuhan) to Duisburg leverages the stable and efficient advantages of railway transportation, promoting the clustering and development of industries such as optoelectronics, clothing, and timber in Wuhan, she said.