The German Frankfurter Rundschau said on the 2nd that the German government has allowed Chinese investors to invest in strategic port infrastructure. The North German Broadcasting Corporation said that the German Federal Cartel Bureau recently approved the acquisition of a 80 percent stake in the German Hamburg shipping agency Konrad Zipper by China Far Shipping. According to the German Federal Cartel Bureau‘s official website, China Far Shipping also holds a minority stake of 24.99 percent in the German Hamburg Port and Logistics Company.
Based in Hamburg, the Zipper Company was founded in 1876 and mainly operates multi-modal container transport between ports and inland areas, especially rail transport. Andreas Monte, director of the Federal Cartel Bureau, said that China and Far East mainly operate maritime container transport, which is a different link in the transportation chain from Zipper and does not have a direct competitive relationship. Therefore, this merger is not inappropriate. Issues related to foreign trade and security policy do not fall under antitrust scrutiny, and the merger is expected to not have a significant impact on industry competition.
Meanwhile, European ports are upgrading security measures. The Dutch port of Rotterdam is clearing a 15-hectare pier to provide berths and storage for NATO cargo, and the port has raised its security level. The neighboring Belgian port of Antwerp has also taken similar measures.
According to reports, China Far Shipping has invested in the Euromax Pier in Rotterdam. The chief executive of the Rotterdam Port Authority said that the Euromax Pier and the land belong to the Port Authority, but one-fourth of the containers in Rotterdam Harbor come directly from China, another quarter contains Chinese parts, and 90% of the key raw materials come from China.
The German media also mentioned that the European Union plans to introduce a new proposed regulation in March aimed at implementing stricter regulatory measures against strategic investors in European ports. According to the draft, EU member states will conduct stricter scrutiny of strategic investors‘ investments. The regulation will apply in Germany to major seaports such as Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg, as well as inland ports such as Duisburg – the latter being both an important transit point for Rotterdam goods and a key logistics node for goods arriving from China via Central European railways.