In late November, 400 officials and business leaders convened in Hamburg for a Sino-European conference to discuss how Brussels and Beijing could navigate through the prospective choppy waters of US trade policy under a new administration. The location of the conference could not have been more fitting.

Germany, as Europe's largest economy, relies heavily on exports, and 50 percent of German trade with China moves through Hamburg. On average, one in three shipping containers offloaded in Hamburg begins its journey in China.

Last year, China delivered more than 14 million metric tons of materials to the German city - everything from machinery to musical instruments - and more than 9 million tons made the reverse journey.