The operator of this new train connection is the state-owned port operating company Hefei International Land Port (HILP), which is now also connecting Germany's only deep-water container port with Hefei as part of the "One Belt One Road" initiative. The company's core business is the organization of international freight transport with block trains to Central Europe and Central Asia. In addition, HILP also offers combined sea/rail transportation between Hefei and the port of Ningbo as well as transport and logistics concepts specially tailored to customers' needs. The partner on the German side is DB Cargo Eurasia, which has been operating on the Eurasian Corridor since 2008 to meet the transport demand for block trains and individual containers between China and Europe and which developed into a regular service in 2011. DB Cargo Eurasia serves as a DB operator and provider on the Eurasian Corridor and, together with DB Cargo Russia and DB Cargo Transasia, which is currently under development, forms the network of DB Cargo structures from the EU's eastern external border, filling rail traffic within the DB Cargo network with volumes to and from China. The transcontinental connections between China and Europe offer customers competitive and environmentally friendly transportation alternatives. Other partners of the new connection are DB Cargo Russia, DB Cargo Poland and DB Cargo Intermodal Sales. The first direct train was welcomed by representatives from politics, the regional economy and local residents at an event in the freight village with the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Hamburg, Mr. Xiaohui DU, Minister President Stephan Weil, State Secretary in the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization, Dr. Berend Lindner, and Wilhelmshaven's Lord Mayor Carsten Feistan.

The province of Anhui and the state of Lower Saxony have been working together as partners for more than 35 years. The Minister President was also pleased about this: "The container train connection between Hefei and Germany's only deep-water port demonstrates the partnership between Anhui Province and Lower Saxony. With this connection, Lower Saxony is demonstrating that our rail infrastructure can act as part of the new Silk Road." A strategic cooperation agreement between HILP and Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort-Marketing GmbH & Co. KG (JWPM) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between JWPM, China Logistics and the Anhui Provincial Port & Shipping Group will be signed this week. These two agreements form the basis for the rapid establishment of regular services between Hefei and JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven.

The Managing Director of JWPM, Andreas Bullwinkel, was delighted with the arrival of the first China-Europe block train and the cooperation with HILP: "We are very pleased that we have succeeded in establishing this train connection between Wilhelmshaven and Hefei and would like to thank our partners in China for their trust and the opportunity to become part of the "One Belt One Road" rail initiative. This will enrich the portfolio of the freight village and the container terminal. We wish the new connection good capacity utilization and hope for further expansion of the rail network to China."