Chinese Investment in Germany - A preliminary investigation by Globalization Monitor, Hong Kong 2019

(....) Since Germany is a country which has been so important to China as it has expanded its investments into Europe, Globalization Monitor was keen to learn more about how Chinese is viewed there and the impacts it has had so far, particularly in the workplace. For this reason, in November 2018 we visited Germany for two weeks to meet with works council members, trade unionists and other activists and experts about their experiences related to Chinese investment and visited strategic sites of interest for Chinese investment activity. Our visit took us to two different locations in Germany. The first was North Rheine-Westphalia 3 , an early industrial area, where Chinese companies have been acquiring manufacturing plants in various industries and where the city of Duisburg has received recent attention in relation to its role for China’s new silk road as the terminal of its rail route from Chongqing. The second location was Hamburg, a city which has been an important location for the establishment of the European headquarters of Chinese companies – 500 such headquarters are now located there (Hamburg Marketing n.d.) - and where plans to construct a new container terminal at its port, to potentially be built and operated by Chinese companies, have become a cause for concern. This report draws on our discussions and findings from this visit as well relevant recent reports and literature to explore some of the important emerging issues for understanding implications of Chinese investment in Germany, as well as potentially further afield. 26 pages Contents: China’s Investment in Germany: An Introduction Investment in Manufacturing in North Rhine-Westphalia Duisburg – China’s ‘Gateway to Europe’? The Hamburg Port Investment Plan Conclusion References