The president of Federlogistica-Conftransport, Luigi Merlo, has no doubt : " It is enough to speak from one side of ingenuity in the assessment of the projects, on the other side of bias compared to normal commercial projects. China's hegemonic drawing on Western ports represents a danger, " he said. A statement that comes just hours after the German federal government's decision to limit to less than 25% percent the share that the Chinese group COSCO will be able to acquire in the CTT company that operates a container terminal in the port of Hamburg. Acquisition that COSCO Shipping Ports has not yet decided whether to carry out being the agreement with the HHLA Group, which owns the entire capital of CTT, related to the divestment to the Chinese group of a 35% stake in the capital.

Merlo recalled that he has been in the spotlight for at least five years on the risks underlying the Silk Road project, while for a long time some political forces, trade associations and even institutions have supported him with great support. vigor by defining it as an exceptional opportunity.

"Confuse the development of traffic between Europe and Asia with a hegemonic design at a global level-the president of Federlogistica-Conftransport-is, in the most benevolent interpretation, a sin of ingenuity." " During the pandemic, and also recently, we have suffered the devastating consequences of the closure of Chinese ports ; we have been witnessing for years, in a deafening silence about the dangers involved, in what is happening in nations that have entrusted their strategic infrastructure to China. "

"In Italy, the failure to enact the regulation on terminalistic concessions that we have been waiting for for 28 years and the lack of an effective strategic regia on port policy, has opened up flaws (as happened in Trieste," Merlo said. signatory of a luckily frozen framework agreement on the Silk Road) in the strategic port system, leaving spaces to potential risks of ceding sovereignty to other countries on fundamental assets for Italy. "

We recall that the COSCO Shipping Ports group, terminalistics division of the Chinese shipowners group COSCO Shipping Holdings Co., is present in Italy in the port of I Ligure through the 40% participation in the APM Terminals Vado Ligure (I'm going Gateway), the company that operates the new container traffic platform in the Ligurian port, and through the 40% participation in the Reefer Terminal that operates the refrigerated cargo terminal of the stairway.