China-Europe train and the rebirth of Germany's old industrial base

During the 7 years of working abroad, Duisburg, located in the Ruhr area of Đức, was one of the cities I visited most often. This is an old industrial city that was destroyed by 80% in World War II, and was once restored by large-scale coal mining and steel smelting after the war, but at the same time caused large-scale air, water and soil pollution. Although the environmental governance and industrial transformation in the Ruhr area have been carried out for more than 50 years, Duisburg is still hard to be called gorgeous or modern in terms of urban appearance. However, it is such a humble old industrial city, but now it has the closest connection with China. Because of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", this city has gained a new momentum of development, and is called "China Town" by the German media.

In March 2021, I was deeply impressed by a video exchange with Markus Teuber, the new China Affairs Commissioner of the Duisburg City Government. He joked that "this job was given by China." Teuber has worked in Duisburg Port Group for 37 years and has witnessed the revitalization of Duisburg Port due to the arrival of China Railway Express. He said that without the China-Europe Railway Express, there would be no "hub" status of the Port of Duisburg in the Eurasian logistics trade, and there would be no China Affairs Commissioner of the Duisburg City Government.

On March 19, 2011, the first China-Europe Railway Express (Yuxinou) from Chongqing to Duisburg opened for operation, making Duisburg the "first" in the development history of China-Europe Railway Express and also won the development Take the lead and gain new momentum for transformation. As of June 2022, the number of China-Europe Railway Express (Chongqing) will exceed 10,000 trains, and the goods transported will expand from the early single IT products to smart terminals, complete automobiles and parts, high-end medical drugs and equipment, postal parcels, and light industrial products There are thousands of kinds of materials, bulk materials, etc., and the value of transported goods exceeds 400 billion yuan.

On March 29, 2014, the China-Europe Railway Express ushered in an important historical moment in the Port of Duisburg. President Xi Jinping visited the port of Duisburg and greeted the arrival of a "Yuxinou" train at the port terminal. President Xi Jinping said that the Port of Duisburg is the largest inland river port in the world and an important transportation and logistics hub in Europe. He hopes that it can play a greater role in promoting the development of China-Germany and China-Europe cooperation.

Many years later, Link, the mayor of Duisburg who accompanied President Xi Jinping on his visit, and Stark, chairman of the Port of Duisburg, both said in an interview with the author that President Xi's visit is an important milestone for local development. The milestone is a perfect promotion of the Port of Duisburg as the hub of the China-Europe Railway Express. Since then, the status and popularity of the local area in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" have been greatly improved, and many companies and investors have come here admiringly. It was after President Xi’s visit in 2014 that the city government of Duisburg added the post of China Affairs Commissioner.

When the author was interviewing in Duisburg in 2018, a taxi driver took the initiative to talk about the train and President Xi's visit. He said that the trains from China not only brought goods, but also business investment. There are more and more Chinese companies in Duisburg, and job opportunities are also increasing. It can be seen that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative proposed by President Xi has had a profound impact on Duisburg, leaving many vivid development stories in the local area.

During the work abroad, the author got to know many ordinary Germans who work on trains locally, such as Amelie who works in the port DIT station, and Sizikova who works in the railway freight company. There is a vivid connection between the "Belt and Road" initiative, and because of their participation in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", they understand China better, agree with China, and like China, and people-to-people bonds are also realized in this process.

Nowadays, Duisburg's development strategy focuses on digitalization and logistics, and its ties with China are becoming increasingly close, including cooperation with Huawei to build a smart city. There are more than 60 China-Europe trains arriving and leaving the local area every week, and more than 100 Chinese-funded enterprises have settled in Locally, the Chinese Garden and the Chinese Festival have become local business cards...

As the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" continues to deepen and become more solid, the author firmly believes that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" as a global public product will surely usher in greater development opportunities, and it will bear fruit all over the world, including Duisburg. More fruitful results will also make the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. As media professionals, we will tell the story of the general secretary and the "Belt and Road" with our hearts and emotions, dig out and disseminate vivid stories of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" that benefit the world, spread the voice of China, and display China's image well.