On January 24, local time, a grand reception ceremony for the "China-Europe Express" was held at the logistics park in Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany, marking the successful maiden voyage of the direct shipping route connecting China's Yangtze River Delta region with Germany's only deep-sea port. The ceremony was attended by more than 260 representatives from both China and Germany, including Cong Wu, the Chinese Consul General in Hamburg, Frank Dutz, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics of Lower Saxony, and Carsten Feist, Mayor of Wilhelmshaven, who jointly witnessed this historic moment.

The cargo ship that undertook the maiden voyage was named "Jia Hua Ningbo," carrying high-value-added goods from China, such as lithium batteries and cross-border e-commerce products. During the 26-day journey, the "Jia Hua Ningbo" successfully arrived in Wilhelmshaven, shortening the travel time by more than ten days compared to traditional routes, demonstrating the efficiency and speed of the "China-Europe Express." The "China-Europe Express" is a "point-to-point" direct shipping route between the two ports without any transshipment ports, making it the fastest direct route from the Yangtze River Delta region to Europe. In the future, this route will achieve regular cargo transportation between China and Europe, building a high-speed bridge for Sino-European trade.

As the core distribution hub for the "China-Europe Express," Wilhelmshaven will connect to countries around Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea through water-water intermodal and sea-rail intermodal transportation, forming an efficient logistics network that covers Europe within 30 days from the Ningbo Zhoushan Port. This logistics model, with its unique advantages of efficiency and convenience, will bring unprecedented development opportunities for Sino-European trade.

Cong Wu, the Chinese Consul General in Hamburg, said in his speech at the ceremony that the launch of the "China-Europe Express" not only facilitates the exchange of goods between China and Europe but also plays a positive role in stabilizing the global supply chain, vividly interpreting the profound connotation of jointly building the "Belt and Road." He believes that this route will bring new cooperation opportunities to the regions of China and Germany and inject new vitality into the bilateral economy.

Mark-Oliver Hauswold, the port manager of Wilhelmshaven, also stated that the launch of the "China-Europe Express" is of great significance to Wilhelmshaven, as it fills the gap of direct connections between Southeast Asia and the North European coast. He believes that this fast logistics channel will greatly benefit cargo transportation, especially for goods that must quickly reach Europe or Asia.

Carsten Feist, the Mayor of Wilhelmshaven, called this day a "great day" because Wilhelmshaven is establishing a new connection that brings Asian goods quickly to Germany. He hopes that this new connection will deepen the friendship between the two sides and promote the in-depth development of Sino-German trade relations.

Frank Dutz, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics of Lower Saxony, emphasized that in the current context of increasing global geopolitical uncertainties, stable and reliable trade partnerships are particularly important. He believes that the launch of the "China-Europe Express" will bring economic development opportunities to Wilhelmshaven and Lower Saxony and demonstrate the deep foundation of Sino-German cooperation. He looks forward to more similar cooperation between the two countries in the future to jointly promote bilateral economic and trade development.

The successful maiden voyage of the "China-Europe Express" not only marks the beginning of a new era of efficient logistics between the Yangtze River Delta region and Germany's deep-sea port but also injects new momentum into the prosperity and development of Sino-European trade.