Consul General Yu Yong on Sino-German Relations: Emphasizing Cooperation and Mutual Growth

As the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Dusseldorf, Yu Yong gave an exclusive interview to Rheinische Post, the largest newspaper in North Rhine-Westphalia, on September 16, 2025. The conversation centered around the significance of Duisburg to China, highlighting friendly exchanges and economic and trade cooperation. Consul General Yu expressed his aspirations for Duisburg to further enhance political mutual trust with China, deepen local cooperation, and promote Sino-German relations.

Key Takeaways:

• Consul General Yu Yong emphasized the importance of Duisburg to China, citing its sister city relationship with Wuhan since 1982 and its role as the terminal point of the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe.
• He expressed hopes for further development of social and economic relations between China and Duisburg, as well as the promotion of cultural exchanges and mutual understanding.
• The Consul General highlighted the success of the Duisburg China Festival, which showcases Chinese culture and innovation to the German public.
• He acknowledged concerns about over-dependence on China economically and stated that China prefers the concept of "mutual integration" to describe its cooperation with Germany.
• Yu condemned the politicization of economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany, citing concerns about security and national interests.
• He sympathized with the difficulties faced by the Duisburg steel industry but dismissed the idea that China's cheap steel is causing the crisis, emphasizing the importance of internal factors such as efficiency and innovation.

Statistics:

• The City of Duisburg has a sister city relationship with Wuhan, China since 1982.
• The Port of Duisburg is the European terminus of the Belt and Road Initiative.
• Approximately 30 pairs of trains now operate weekly on the China-Europe Express.
• The city of Duisburg alone received roughly 200 million euros in subsidies from the European Commission between 2014 and 2020.
• Europe is expected to provide over 1.44 trillion euros in subsidies between 2021 and 2030.
• Industrial electricity prices in China are approximately three times lower than in Germany.

Sources:

• [1] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China
• [2] Rheinische Post
• [3] Contify.com