we visit 3 cities, which already pass of the silk road initiative, and where the feeling of dependence is growing. next on d w. we've got some hot tips for your bucket list. ah, magic corner tread hotspot for food chairs and some great cultural memorials to boot. in w travel off we go, ah ah, every day masses of cargo containers arrive in europe, a growing number come from china. is that what's vital for both sides is that trade

continues in both directions. china has a gigantic plan for a global network of ports, roads, railways, and other infrastructures to connect china to the world. this belt and road initiative dumped the new silk road, has a clear strategy. both thought to not have, i knew, as everyone knew, this is about brutal self interest, both economic and geopolitical and how to accept that flower dummy was my own game . recently the covered 19 pandemic highlighted the risks inherent in such global trade structures thus, so to on, i think this should be a lesson to us in terms of dependence on china. english tried distinguishing market . the best place to learn about such dependency is where the new seal growth is already a reality. we visited 3 cities to see how big china's presence in europe currently is. and how dependent the people affected feel.

ah, our 1st stop is do, spoke in germany, home to the biggest inland container, port on the planet, comprising 21 harbors and 130 cranes. last year alone, it handled more than 4000000 containers. do spork is one of the european termini of china's monumental new silk road project, which many, including the port authority company, see as a positive development. isn't there? what were the hotspot in europe option by far the most profitable location that's fixed on the wall? it's not as if they chose to his book because it's pretty topped off you'll buy. might also from history do spoke is a city shaped by the coal and steel industries. and by their decline,

after struggling to adapt and restructure its economy, the city welcomed the commercial opportunities from becoming a major junction on china's revived silk road. president she jin pings 1st ever state visit to germany in 2014 included a trip to deuce bog. he welcomed the freight train arriving from china. a symbolic confirmation of do spoke becoming part of the silk road. the 1st question i expect to see a significant boost for our operations. the chinese market is of such paramount importance that our port has to use this opportunity for by good old the new silk road is an undertaking of colossal proportions. it includes 2 railway routes, crossing asia, and then europe, one via russia, belarus and poland. and another further south taking in central asia, iran and turkey. there's also a sea lank between china and america reiney,

like the indian ocean and the suez canal, and new air freight routes, all designed to increase trade volume between china and europe. but the belt and road initiative incorporates far more than just trade with europe. it is already seen the construction of countless bridges, tunnels, railway lines, roads, and ports across asia and africa. in most cases, built by chinese firms with chinese workers. the biggest infrastructure project of the 21st century involves enormous investments that are largely welcomed by the countries in question. while ultimately serving to enhance china's power and influence the boot of deuce blog already had a highly developed infrastructure in place, making it a particularly attractive location for chinese importers.

around 30 trains a week currently travel back and forth between china and deuce book. each journey covers around 11000 kilometers and takes around 2 weeks. on board are close medicinal products, electronics, automotive parts and toys. almost a 3rd of all chinese goods arriving in europe by train, or offloaded induce book of nist on onvia. frankly, we initially thought was a crazy idea, a trend from china to dos books on, but let's let them go ahead as i deem since then from the public awareness has been greater than the economic significance for victim. of course, the trains with all these colorful chinese characters on the containers look interesting. but to put it into perspective before the pandemic, we typically had close to 30 trains a week, going to and from china. and we do again now for no narceena over an entire year

that adds up to between 25300000 standard size containers from juice bog. there offloaded for further dispatch via a network of sea and land routes to 92 cities and ports across europe. or they're sent back to china. a growing number of chinese companies have now set up business induce book. the company l m a, our open day logistics center here. it capitalizes on the advantages of transportation by rail, which is cheaper than air freight and faster than buy ship. gina fuqua went on, i, china currently has a very good infrastructure. that means if i want to make a car, for example, of e, w, or tesla, and where do i get a missing bolt? caught on. sure, i can buy it from one of the factories in the industrial park next door, public anemia. that's my infrastructure. that's money of host will. so in the long term a long cuz it's difficult to replace china because they already have the infrastructure

in place of guar fonda. but the new silk road project. first and foremost, serves china's strategy for greater global influence. he wanted before the huffman his duffel, nobody at the port of this burg thought this was setup, but the chinese government or she champagne for the benefit of the world. it's a big glucose. everyone knew this is about brutal, self interest, both economic and geopolitical to show and how to accept that firsthand. thus why even cloud them? it was more ongoing for president. she jin paying the initiative was part of a long term plan. geared to the milestone year of 2049. the 100th anniversary of the founding of the people's republic is long jewish dunham did you actually live human except for the current leadership in beijing? she so she jen, things line up is the aim is to make china the central global power over the next few decades to reach dixon,

short term. and that means above 1st keeping the u. s. his economic hedge many and check it was all. and then he gama taking its place. i'd to sprinkle elsa love jurors. the objective, say, various political analysts is to establish a new world order in which china is the pre eminent power, with various repercussions for europe clause does, i know that one of the u. s. is strengths, is its network of alliances on da, by spirit plays a major role here due to his economic, technological, and political clout, to overstate the laws of july. so what the regime in b jing wants to do is drive as depot edge as possible between the u picking at the u. s. purpose to even look for so little, condensation to you or want to was all to plot the silk road project could be just such a wedge for partners. it poses a range of dangerous in terms of new dependencies. exertion of power through trade

is the new reality that for a growing number of observers is cause for alarm. good specify when female, maintaining trade benefits us and china without. but you have to make sure trade doesn't open the door for political power being exercised, guide and put it to for mcmurry. also, ultimately it comes down to the liberal values we have and want to defend. this is what i didn't warn on. and then you have china with it, stick tutorial surveillance state system with teen to ensure the same in various countries along that route. studies. yes. so as such that does pose a threat to our way of life. and oh, i know, i know, but also the williams wasn't our 2nd destination is genuine home to one of the oldest and largest ports on the mediterranean coast. but it's in need of modernization and expansion. while the

cities, road and railings are likewise in poor shape. which is why chinese investments were a welcome development. genoa is now also part of the new silk road and the center of the la gory, a regions cluster of for trade ports in p as a previously called the port of singapore authority opened an office. here, p s a as one of the biggest port terminal operators in the world and a partner of both the new silk road and chinese state own shipping company cosco. together with costco, it's the biggest investor in the regional port operator. the terminals 5 cranes had the capacity to handle over half a 1000000 containers a year. but in 2021 shifted only half that amount. ship traffic has been down due to the pandemic. and then there's the growing size factor. today's new container

ships are up to 400 meters long and can accommodate up to 20000 containers too big to dock here. but there are plans to change that crystal port. this is not a regional port or it's always been international legacy, which will increase further. truth of these corporations, i think we're still going to be good normative, illegal pudgy and his fellow union representatives face a dilemma. the foreign investment is key to securing local jobs at the port, but it comes at a price. chinese companies have different concepts of speed and efficiency and are keen to take control. it's a question of jobs on the one hand versus workers rights and conditions on the other. the unions in genoa are preparing for conflict in is that a lateral dame book. the chinese came here with their stopwatches, grandma and all the they had their own system that involves permanently monitoring

every one i've been sought and that resulted in a serious clash with the union. i thought it was, it just indicated the quidditch. what about this is why we're preparing to defend ourselves if need be bizarre in order to be able to negotiate for the years to come, which will be the size of that person. yeah. because from when you have agreed that you see anxiety over chinese dominance is growing. people fear an accelerated pace of work, permanent surveillance and drop in standards. but ultimately, those fears are often outweighed by the prospect of job losses and financial hardship. nobody wants to see a port with empty docks. elaborate in bought it on the bottom of the working at a port is very demanding. $365.00 days a year. 247. we need a system that guarantees a decent retirement for the one group. while also ensuring jobs for the next

generation laws. mccrae oddly because if we can't provide young people with jobs, poverty here will grow maribelle that each is in the field. the p as a logo looms large over the entrance to the new modern genuine prod, container facility 20 kilometers west of the old port. it's deep sea terminals can unload to 400 meter long, ultra large container ships at the same time. singapore based p. s a has strong commercial ties with china. one of the 1st big changes by the investors was to replace the old italian crane facilities with gigantic new structures by shanghai port equipment, supplier z p, m c, and installed by chinese workers. but at least people say the port is still majority, italian owned. he bought the number so my set of in duty, lab reports cannot be sold to the most that investors can get is a lease agreement which has

a fixed term in the unknown them. and after that expires account, the lease is subject to a new tender process. so going code jet to the godaddy bottle a look windy. this prevents chinese companies from acquiring complete genus or at least majority ownership of a port. are all gonna cwa majority diarrhea, a gall dart, the charm with ubida arlington loom for the lease contracts and other cooperation agreements that consolidate the influence of chinese. investors tend to have a duration of several decades. the prod terminal has mushrooms over the last few years. 12 mega cranes have sprung up here since the 1st was installed in 2016. for the investors. a port is merely a stepping stone, a gateway to the rest of europe, and a crucial link in the supply chain to consumers across the continent. with the misty made that were supported for surviving foresees infrastructure projects,

often lead to the creation of industrial parks, free trade, soon known and trade investment zone is the one in which europe ian companies. in this case, italian, they worked with chinese firms, shanese worth oh, garzo. the in here is to boost imports and exports in both countries. i had an import export well met chalet need. if i isn't, it doesn't. austin. all the headquarter of hong kong based operator carry logistics in milan. the italian logistics service provider to via italia. used to be here, but in 2017, it's founder guido nas addie, sold, his majority steak to carry logistics, strengthening china's control over its supply chains. last ladiva ot leads them, although our company makes extensive use of the port of genuine services in alta and all of its terminals ab, you'll pair, the port operators are

a vital part of the logistics chain that i got the analogies together. unfortunately, italy suffers from a prevailing infrastructure problem for us. that means difficulties related to highways, railways and other transportation routes. when he got fuel on a bit out, a saw that the little v carry logistics claims to be the world's 8 largest freight services provider. it overseas, the transportation and storage of all manner of products exported by china from pharmaceuticals and chemical goods to food, clothing, and electronics. to via italia, founder guido nazarene, made a conscious decision to sell his company to a chinese firm with global ambitions. he soon saw what it was that the new owners were primarily interested in. a moment. the luck we saw on the path of the capital g at the time of the takeover slowly, we thought everything would change over night. i left it to the me and in terms of

both management to call law and the work procedures. he's still not course he stay after soon, but the only real change came in one area. paula: everything connected to cost control statistics and the capacity to gather data on our operations. and also i'm also part of the, the, the hall of which became a priority after the arrival of kerry logistics because logistics. the carry logistics network encompasses around 1000 locations and over 50 countries. the company is mainly active on the online retail front. it sells goods straight from manufacturer to consumer, or to distributors such as amazon and alibaba. with no middle men involved. this means complete control over the supply chain. stephano pull jani is head of integrated logistics at carries italian subsidiary etching. when he finally known you 5 years ago, we didn't have any online operations. doc was today. this entire section of the warehouse is for e commerce. anthony and suppliers not just from china,

but elsewhere in eastern asia have played a huge part in put on there. but the chinese companies are naturally the most important ones. conveying both goods and trade secrets. things were thought that in magazine which this note of the warehouse has 2 areas that are unfortunately off limits for commer cruise, equally odd and we still there where we store material for the 5 g devices of 2 major chinese manufactures. so filming is not what admitted for security reasons, liada the activities. there are very specific go right up to the assembly of those devices. sequestered highly sensitive chinese technology for the 5 g telecoms. networks of chinese companies, including assembly china's strategy of maximum control, evidently extends to more than just the supply chain side. note, yamuna feliciano capillary, the, the solution we provide those everything from picking up goods from chinese suppliers, organizing the containers and importing the goods to italy,

including customs clearances, the my gods, plus storage it and final delivering typically. and that means customers have a single point of contact and don't have to lose time organizing the supply chain. logistics on either the supply chain been in the fall kit and kazi complet supply chains essentially being 100 percent chinese controlled, obviously means data transparency for china. as was one i thought mison vision, they'll know which goods are headed from where to where as it's done it, which could of course, weaken our competitive position. but i suppose it's yona to distribution. and if there's only a handful of suppliers for ports, for rail transportation or for maritime shipping, then they'll control the prices he done to the detriment of our companies. and it does a little phone switch be on the common one end of the chinese supply chain network comprises alibaba, an subsidiary tao, akin to amazon, ebay and a bank, all in one. according to company figures,

it sells $48000.00 products per minute and has a market capitalization of $700000000000.00. ah. our 3rd destination is the belgian city of the edge where ali baba is building the biggest logistics center in europe. my alley, bob, i hope that i haven't done an in depth analysis, but ali baba, shirley picked leash because it has a cargo airport with very high capacity. that's open. 247. that is leanne proper is the 4th most populous city in belgium. and the metro area is home to 600000 people . it used to be called the fiery city due to the many blast furnaces that once fueled the local economy. but like deuce book, the city has struggled to recover from the end of coal mining. and the almost complete disappearance of the steel industry in the 20 ten's, the unemployment rate sometimes exceeded 20 percent.

the whole now is that the cargo airport was no night time restrictions will change things for good. it's quietly grown to become the 5th largest freight airport in europe, according to the operator. here to location has been a critical factor with increased commercial traffic going hand in hand with growth . it's a win win situation for both ali baba and the airport. var colton ali baba is helping to develop trade with china. so luca leanne and all other airports in europe school, the china is a kind of factory for the world. and is as such, causing an increase in air, free to airports around the continent, they will go on another location on the new. so grow that's looking at growth. the airport currently supports $8700.00 jobs and that said to increase thanks to ali baba the facilities management is optimistic about the expansion and chinese

commitment audrey several places right now, china accounts for 6 or 7 percent of our business sharing, but it's going to be expanding as warehouses and making the edge the center of us logistics activities and trade with europe. so china could soon be making up to 20 to 25 percent of our business, or both people have done with the thought of ensemble saunders activities or demo. but not everyone is happy about these developments. local activists do not believe the promises of an economic boom on that bodily other near. don't rob. he says, i said hideous while they was talk of thousands of jobs. but that's since come down to $1600.00. also, chris, i gave them on that. we don't have any current information i. li, if we want to see a comprehensive study that will enable us to work out the jobs actually created and also the jobs that have been lost. you okay. i see. okay. 030 so know when you promised to resolve the unemployment crisis in the region, you have to create jobs for local people. if they're going to chinese people,

it seems about deal there looks like this in the airport expects freight traffic to increase transportation by air is pricier than by ship or train. but over half of the cargo is perishable goods or needs express delivery from flowers to live animals. and ali baba is bringing more. e commerce did occur. la china has been part of the airports growth. ali baba's logistics arm china arrives 3 or 4 years ago. the ball, it opened its 1st building at the end of 2020, taking up 30000 square meters of land and and adding to the airports group. say it all, geico granular fossils and i will pull it remains to be seen how many new jobs the expansion will actually translate into critics point to the range of environmental regulations being disregarded in return for the growth promised by ali baba

relatives that lived above as setting up shop and the edge was supported by belgium or more precisely by we're lonia. we want to highlight the contradiction here inasmuch and the government has to take big steps to protect the climate and the health of people living here in europe. lamar less haunted, we say that's never going to be possible with a project like ali baba at least airport anchor. anybody as an active opposition to the growing chinese presence is especially pronounced among the younger generation . the stop alibaba campaigners have highlighted their cause by also staging protests at the airport itself. in oak news of oak, over the last 2 or 3 years, we seen a growing number of complaints from residents living in the area around the airport to jockey especially about nighttime flight and some awkward. so there's evidently a very substantial nimby effect on the fail. nimby cosmopolitan.

mindy meaning not in my backyard but the activists from stop alibaba, see a far bigger picture. their opposition stems from what they feel is unchecked and excessive. growth from globalization, ali baba's logistics center will eventually cover an area of 220000 square meters. the consequences are foreseeable yet up, we're histone, lactic lays the impact on people's health from air pollution. then there's mobility . that means we have a pulling figure of $1500.00 additional trucks on the roads every day. plus the global consequences will the environment and the climate due to the c o. 2 emissions from all the planes and trucks going to pick up. china is succeeding in its plan to secure locations that together spanned the entire supply chain. freight trains now also arrive in lee as a further branch of the silk road bend loosen she musician. and if the chinese

initiative in leads to sound infrastructure induce fork and in li either. oh, and that infrastructure is linked on to it would be commercially advantageous for the entire cross border regional pub is that could also benefit northrop, westphalia on po for tilo. however, there's no evidence on the ground to back that up yet. the last few years have provided dramatic examples of the fateful gaps, a globally oriented strategy like the new silk road has. when see or land roots are disrupted by a pandemic or a war supply chains collapse and the full legacy of global dependencies becomes apparent. unfortunately, the next crisis of global dimensions could happen sooner rather than later. china's conduct in its conflict with taiwan, has been increasingly aggressive. if beijing chooses to escalate the west may be

obliged to respond as it has done with ukraine, possibly leading to an even more worrying fallout. thus, was she no doubt taiwan? she, china has made clear that in the space of 12 hours, it could block off 2 thirds of the world's semi conductor production. without any military conflict, with taiwan, hopefully on the would have to be a responsible and it would be naive to overlook this. and not prepare for the scenario. he's watson him. once he saw of ancestry. but how prepare. china might be becoming an increasingly complicated trade partner for the west, but it is also an indispensable one. so is there a solution? it's been the purpose vo. i'm in favor of us being more cautious when it comes to sensitive infrastructure was, is to soon what i am not in favor of is immediately demonizing all of these

investments. just because they're from china. schumacher, unknown cruces to photography. industry leaders have become more direct and open about the dilemma. the all payoff. wait, europeans have basically no choice, but to maintain dialogue with china. in addition to all the products and services coming in from china, we want to access the chinese market. of course that's mocked not to do what so what has our journey taught us? induce blog, genoa and the edge the new silk road is already firmly in place. the partnership with china promises further and significant growth, but the price to pay is becoming increasingly evident.

ah a joy ride through fascinating worlds into uncharted depths, our guides know their way around with a strictly scientific trip to some pretty wacky places. curiosity is required to morrow to day on d w. ah

ah ah ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin, a miss i'll explosion in poland puts the country on a lot to people, a dead after a rocket hits a village near poland border with ukraine. war so cool that a russian made weapon u. s. official officials raised doubts.