STORY: Increased trade barriers, higher tariffs wrong way to go: Eurogate president
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Feb. 9, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:06
LOCATION: Berlin
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/INDUSTRY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of ports
2. various of Capitol Hill in U.S.
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MICHAEL BLACH, Eurogate President
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MICHAEL BLACH, Eurogate President

STORYLINE:

Protectionist policies are putting global trade at risk and straining the maritime shipping industry, warned the president of Eurogate Group, a German container terminal operator.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MICHAEL BLACH, Eurogate President 
"It's no secret, of course, that the thoughts of protectionism from various parts of the world are growing. Also the elections in the U.S. have led to an expectation that there will be increased trade barriers and there will be higher tariffs and I must say that I think this is the wrong way to go. 
The world trade has made the countries come closer together over the past decades. The nations across the world have come much closer together and are having very intimate trading relations. I think it's prospering, not only prosperity, but it's also helping to provide peace.
I'm very hopeful that on second thought there will be ways to solve these ideas to increase tariffs. We should rather continue to stay very close together and come together, and I'm hoping that the trade tariffs can stay where they are or even be further reduced."

According to Blach, one example of international collaboration is Eurogate's partnership with Chinese and German companies to establish a direct shipping route between China's Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and Wilhelmshaven, Germany's only deep-water port. Known as the "China-Europe Express," this route is the fastest maritime connection between Europe and China's Yangtze River Delta region, with its inaugural container ship arriving in Wilhelmshaven on Jan. 24.
   
Blach highlighted the route's efficiency, cutting shipping time to just 26 days, about two weeks faster than traditional lanes.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MICHAEL BLACH, Eurogate President
"China is the biggest market for maritime trade, and we, of course, want to make sure that we have good connections all over the Chinese port landscape and that we can continue with our terminal group. We are very confident that, with continued close cooperation between Eurogate and our Chinese partners, we can help further world trade."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Berlin.
(XHTV)