Hamburg and Shanghai, both renowned port cities, have and are developing close economic connections, especially in logistics, the China Daily reported.

"Ninety percent of the shipping logistics between China and Hamburg start from Shanghai," said Heinrich Lieser, CEO of Hamburg Marketing and HWF Hamburg Business Development Corporation.

He said that speed, which is crucial to port logistics, is Hamburg's advantage.
The history of trade between Hamburg and China can be traced back nearly 275 years, when the first Chinese cargo ship from Guangzhou, carrying tea, silk and chinaware, sailed into the Port of Hamburg in 1731.