Duisburg and its partnerships with China and Wuhan: An "all-weather" friendly relationship amidst contemporary crises?

Duisburg was the first German city to establish official relations with a Chinese city, Wuhan. Less out of strategic calculation or recognition of the global significance of China's reform and opening-up policy, but rather thanks to their common industrial roots in the steel industry, the two cities entered an exchange in 1982. In the following two decades, Duisburg supported Wuhan's development with technical, administrative, and economic assistance, while the latter committed itself primarily in a symbolic fashion to the partnership. Then, after a period of reduced intensity, the partnership was strengthened anew in the early 2010s. Committed to the initiative of reviving the ancient Silk Road, Duisburg subsequently made this connection with Wuhan, and more generally with China, its distinctive brand. The partnership still exists, despite the significant changes that occurred in the international and national context in the very recent years, and above all in China. The city of Duisburg is firm in maintaining an open-door policy and upholding its ties with Wuhan, thereby deviating from the current mainstream of German and EU orientation. This paper explores the components and characteristics of this seemingly "all-weather" friendly relationship, namely its origins, actors, reasons, and objectives through a historical perspective. It looks first at the very beginning of the partnership with Wuhan, allowing for a better understanding of the history of this city's commitment to China. Then, it addresses the 2010s, a period in which relations between Duisburg and its Chinese partners have significantly intensified. Finally, it covers the contemporary period, illustrating how the city has adapted its relations with China to the enormous upheavals caused by the politico-economic developments in China, the Covid-19 pandemic, the current war in Ukraine, and the pressures of the domestic and international contexts.