Hamburg is a Hub for a New Silk Road and Also China's Gateway to Europe

HAMBURG, Germany, November 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

China Summit of the Chamber of Commerce with Foreign Minister Steinmeier and Deputy Prime Minister Liu 

President Fritz Horst Melsheimer emphasised Hamburg's importance as a part of the "new Silk Road" at the closing lunch of the China Summit for 400 guests in the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. "There is no better location for the maritime and the land route to come together than Hamburg, China's gateway to Europe." Mutual investment is an important step towards achieving closer cooperation. "I believe it has become very clear during this conference that Hamburg, as a spearhead of European-Chinese relations, claims to have open doors for Chinese investments." The shift in the Chinese economy to greater innovation and sustainability is not automatically a threat. Instead, this transition opens up new opportunities for investment and market access on both sides - provided there is a clear understanding of the conditions for this closer cooperation.

The Chairperson of the First Eastern Investment Group in Hong Kong, Victor L.L. Chu, emphasised in his opening speech that Europe and China were at the beginning of a "golden era". "To sustain the momentum we must deepen the cultural, educational and social exchanges between our younger generations, as well as the commercial interactions between our SMEs", continued Chu. Conference Chair Nikolaus W. Schües believes his home city is heading in the right direction: "Hamburg is a positive example of how European and Chinese businesses can cooperate in order to foster innovation and sustainable growth." He noted that the presence of the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong underlined the importance that China's government attaches to the Chamber of Commerce conference. The participation of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Jyrki Katainen, shows that Europe is offering an open hand to China to achieve integration into a rule-based international order. Schües also expressed his thanks to German Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier: "His third participation in the conference shows that bilateral German-Chinese relations are closer than ever."

Further press releases, background information and images from the "Hamburg Summit: China meets Europe" 2016 are available at http://www.hamburg-summit.com.

Contact:
Dr Jörn Arfs, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce Press Office,
Tel.: +49(0)40-36138-301, Fax: +49 (0)40 36138-460, email: joern.arfs@hk24.de, http://www.hk24.de