Asia, Europe must partner to address global challenges

A tiny airport in my mountainous hometown in Sichuan province, where a small number of farmers still live in absolute poverty, has been put into trial operation. It means that next year, if all goes well, I will be able to visit my parents and relatives within half day by taking a flight from Beijing.

This is revolutionary change for the 4 million residents (one-third the total population of Belgium) of Bazhong in Sichuan province. In the early 1990s, when I travelled between my hometown and Beijing for higher education, the time-consuming, overcrowded journey over bumpy roads and by slow train was nostalgic, but also arduous and distressing.

In addition, construction work on Beijing's second international airport, now officially named Beijing Daxing International Airport, is in full swing. And Chongqing, about 300 kilometers away from my hometown, is reportedly talking with Belgium about a direct flight between Chongqing and Brussels. A Beijing-Brussels flight was launched more than 10 years ago, and such linkages have also been established with Shanghai and Shenzhen.