Austria keen to bring winter wonders to China

"Also, we have a lot of knowledge in training and education ... Most of the winter sports leaders are training in Austria. This is really something that's a pleasure for us to offer to you," the minister said.

The landlocked Alpine country is more than winter fun thanks to its perfect climate and natural wonders. As Köstinger said: "You go hiking in summer on the same slope that you ski in winter. Everything is useful all through the year."

According to Friedrich Stift, Austrian ambassador to China, the country received a record 900,000 Chinese tourists last year. The country profited from balanced revenue from winter and summer holidays during the past decade.

Köstinger said Austria is making its way to play a bigger role in the Belt and Road Initiative. In her areas, she said they would like to attract more Chinese tourists with the right programs and expect more agreements in environmental technology, like improving air and water quality.

"Also we produce pork meat of pretty high quality. We have a lot of organic farms and Austria exports the products of these farms to many countries all over the world," she said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to create greater trade, infrastructure and people-to-people links between Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond by reviving and expanding the ancient Silk Road routes.

Köstinger, who also serves as the vice-president of the Austrian Farmers Association and was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Austria from 2009 to 2017, said "trade bans and sanctions are always bad ideas" regarding the current trade tensions between China and the US.

"We create our wealth in the Chinese, the European and also the US market because of free trade. We are very interested in getting a closer connection in the field of the export market, and this could be quite a fruitful future for both sides," she said.

Contact the writer at guanxm@chinadaily.com.cn