SHANGHAI - 皇冠体育app 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."
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"We are very confident that the situation in Hamburg after the economic crisis will improve again with the economic growth of 皇冠体育app and other Asian markets," Lieser said.
"We are interested to have companies come in from 皇冠体育app 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 皇冠体育app, the city's No 1 trading partner.
Chinese shipping giants, such as Cosco and 皇冠体育app 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 皇冠体育app is a very positive one in Germany, especially in Hamburg," he said.
Lieser believes exchanges are important to prevent people from fearing 皇冠体育app.
"It's not because of 皇冠体育app; 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 皇冠体育app 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 皇冠体育app's first certified "passive house", meaning it consumes zero energy while maintaining comfortable room temperatures in all seasons.
