Dance with the dragon

Hamburg knows how to pamper its guests. Warm words from First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) in the magnificent Kaisersaal of the town hall, decorated with leather wallpaper, a musical afternoon with the high-class jazz pianist Joja Wendt. The Senate celebrated the 40th anniversary of its city partnership with China's economic metropolis Shanghai at a reception with around 150 invited guests in a Hanseatic, dignified and therefore splendid manner.

Lin Dong, China's consul general in Hamburg, takes up Tschentscher's words and also emphasizes in a friendly manner that both port cities see themselves as pioneers for global maritime trade, technological progress across the board, and understanding between peoples. After 20 minutes, the two official statements were read out. Music and appetizers, drinks and conversations under the chandeliers follow.

Four decades ago, China was an economic great power, today it is an economic world power, the second largest economy in the world with the enormous drive to become the most modern and economically strongest of all countries by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the state in 2049.

Hamburg continues to follow along in a very pragmatic manner. China is by far the Hanseatic city's most important foreign trade partner and the Port of Hamburg's largest customer. A good 600 Chinese companies have their headquarters in Hamburg, and around 500 Hamburg companies have representatives in the twin city of Shanghai. Delegations from both cities visit each other regularly; Tschentscher was most recently in China in October.

The question, however, is how long and how well this can continue to work, flanking China's growing claim to power in the Pacific and around the world with friendly trade relations. In the group of all those states that want to contain the “West”, its way of life and values, and its economic and military power, China is at least the primus inter pares.

Without China's economic and political backing, Russia would not be able to wage its war against Ukraine and the dictatorship of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards would not be able to survive. And before China gets serious about attacking Taiwan, which it claims as part of the People's Republic, it is probably only a matter of time. The other question then is whether all those companies that are doing great business with China today have a plan B for that day. Not just in Hamburg.

Olaf Preuß is a business reporter for WELT and WELT AM SONNTAG for Hamburg and northern Germany. He has been reporting on the maritime economy - shipping, ports and shipyards - and also on foreign trade in northern Germany for more than three decades.