Hamburg House showcases kinship
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China and Europe's growing mutuality is clearly demonstrated by Hamburg's display at the Expo 2010 Shanghai's Urban Best Practices Area (UPBA).
"The interdependence between the two is even bigger than before," said Heinrich Lieser, CEO of Hamburg Marketing GmbH, a Hamburg city government agency.
"It's very important to have good ties with our friends in Shanghai, our sister city, and other places."
The city with Europe's third-largest port seeks to bring in more Chinese companies to diversify its economy and boost positive competition.
"We are very confident that the situation in Hamburg after the economic crisis will improve again with the economic growth of China and other Asian markets," Lieser said.
"We are interested to have companies come in from China in all sectors. They create jobs, they contribute to the development of the city, and it has been a longstanding tradition to have international companies in Hamburg."
One testament to the growing economic and cultural ties, he said, is the Hamburg House, a 4.2 million-euro ($5.29 million) project in Expo Garden's UBPA modeled after the Sandtorkai 64 building in the city's HafenCity quarter.
More than 400 Chinese companies have representative offices in Hamburg and use the city as a European hub for their services, according to Hamburg Marketing GmbH.
One in four containers that pass through Hamburg's port is heading to or from China, the city's No 1 trading partner.
Chinese shipping giants, such as Cosco and China Shipping, are particularly conspicuous in Hamburg Harbor. The Airbus assembly plant in the suburbs of Germany's second largest city has been busy making aircrafts for Chinese airlines.
And a cultural connection can be seen downtown, where Chinese Teahouse - based off Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden - attracts people from all over the world.
More than 10,000 people of Chinese origin live in Hamburg, Lieser said.
"The presence is the strongest one in Europe for the time being," he said.
While logistics remains the dominant field for Chinese companies in Hamburg, they are also making strides in other sectors, including IT, medical and design, Lieser added.
These companies' success and the intercultural contact they provide is important to cultivating friendships among Germans and Chinese, he explained.
"The image of China is a very positive one in Germany, especially in Hamburg," he said.
Lieser believes exchanges are important to prevent people from fearing China.
"It's not because of China; it's because of us. We have to be fast, change and adapt to competition," he said.
"German companies have understood this. They invest in China and (engage) Chinese companies."
The Hamburg House also showcases the city's achievements in offering a better life and demonstrates how it combats climate change through energy-saving technologies.
The building, which resembles a set of drawers opening in four directions, is China's first certified "passive house", meaning it consumes zero energy while maintaining comfortable room temperatures in all seasons.
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