11:31:01By Dongyan Chen, Yuling Chen, Deng Zhang, iChongqing News
Chongqing - Mr. Thomas Geisel, Mayor of Dusseldorf, took a combined interview at the Chongqing Daily News Group in Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, June 18, 2019, and mentioned that he and Chongqing Mayor Tang Liangzhi discussed “how to innovated and transformed our economies into the digital age,” Tuesday morning.
Mr. Thomas Geisel, Mayor of Dusseldorf, takes a combined interview at the Chongqing Daily News Group in Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, June 18, 2019.
iChongqing, Chongqing Daily, CQ News, CQCB, and Rheinische Post Dusseldorf jointly conducted the new form interview. Mr. Geisel said he was quite impressed by Chongqing Daily News Group, calling it a “huge integrated media group.”
Mr. Thomas Geisel, Mayor of Dusseldorf, leads a delegation to Chongqing and visits the Chongqing Daily News Group on June 18.
“We discussed how to innovate and transform our economies into the digital age, and Mayor Tang was very interested to learn about our start-up initiative,” said Mr. Geisel. He referred to a meeting with Chongqing Mayor Tang Liangzhi, and added, “I think this is an area we should have exchanges between our two cities, because Chongqing is clearly a city dominated by heavy industries and automotive industries, and is transforming into a more service-based, digital-based city.”
He confessed that his visit to the digital economic development exhibition center left a deep impression on him, where he experienced many smart products, which could serve as the direction of exchanges and cooperation between the two cities in the future.
"Belt and Road Initiative is clearly something that strengthens the ties not only between Dusseldorf and Chongqing, but also between Germany and China," Mayor Geisel said, about the BRI at the joint interview, and pointed out the China Railway Express to Europe is the "line of international trade."
"Clearly, this is something that does promote trade between our two countries," said Mayor Geisel going on to say that Dusseldorf and its neighboring cities benefit a lot from international trade, and BRI has brought about many opportunities and benefits.
From Chongqing to Duisburg, a neighboring city of Dusseldorf runs the China Railway Express (Chongqing) to Europe, which is twice as fast as sea transport and cheaper than air transport.
Mr. Geisel was in Chongqing almost five years ago for the first time as Mayor of Dusseldorf.
“Chongqing is particular spectacular for its scenery, for it’s very hilly, with the Yangtze River and the Jialing River,” he said, praising Chongqing’s natural scenery, and shared, “one of the most beautiful runs I have is along the Yangtze River.” However, this time, he regretted not being able to make it due to an early flight the next morning.
When asked about what Dusseldorf could learn from Chongqing, regarding infrastructure and transport, Mr. Geisel said, “We are facing very similar challenges, transportation, air pollution. When it comes to setting up a modern system of mobility, the solution must rely on emission-free or largely emission-free and (a) very efficient system.”
He also mentioned a sort of interlink between electric mobility and a potent public transport system.
Dusseldorf is geographically located in the very heart of Europe and also in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, which Mayor Geisel described as the economic powerhouse of Germany. In 2004, Chongqing signed a cooperation agreement with Dusseldorf to officially form a sister-city relationship. The two sides have maintained good cooperation in politics, economy, trade, culture, and tourism.
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