At the same time, the Chinese hope that the payment flows stemming from these trading activities will help them to encourage use of the renminbi in those countries. The Chinese government’s hopes not only concern the success of the projects in the various emerging markets along the Silk Road.
Rather, it is hoped that trade relations with Germany as Europe’s largest economy will also be strengthened. In fact the German town of Duisburg, with the biggest inland port of its kind in Europe, represents the “western” end of the trade route often referred to as the “new Silk Road”.