China Railway Express brings boom time to German port city

BERLIN - For centuries, river steamers have plied the Rhine River, and the sound of their whistles has been a symbol of the prosperity of the German city of Duisburg.

Today, the sound of those whistles converges here with the sirens of trains coming from thousands of miles away. Like a cheerful symphony, new vitality is being brought to the city.

Duisburg, Germany's biggest inland port and one of the important slots of China Railway Express, has witnessed fruitful results of the Belt and Road Initiative over the past few years and harvested its own urban economic growth.