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Partnership bears fruit

China Daily | Updated: 2018-10-19 07:57

Ambassador praises nations' bilateral ties and lasting friendship

BRUSSELS - A comprehensive partnership of friendship and cooperation between China and Belgium has brought tangible benefits to both of their peoples, according to Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to the country.

At the invitation of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is paying a working visit to Belgium this week.

This is the third visit by the Chinese premier in four years and the fourth consecutive year the heads of government of the two countries have met.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 47 years ago, the two countries have treated each other as equals and mutual trust has continued to deepen over time, Cao said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The all-round partnership of friendship and cooperation between China and Belgium has brought bilateral economic and trade cooperation to a much deeper level, and China-Belgium cooperation in economic and trade investment has developed rapidly, Cao said.

Partnership bears fruit

In 2017, bilateral trade reached $23.3 billion, 1,150 times what it was in the early days of diplomatic ties.

"The investments by Chinese companies in Belgium have become a prominent highlight of China-Belgium economic and trade relations in recent years," said the ambassador.

As an example, Cao pointed to the Volvo factory in Ghent, where production has increased considerably since it was acquired by the Chinese car manufacturer Geely.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has also benefited the Port of Antwerp, which has expanded its international platform as cargo to and from China continues to grow, Cao noted.

"On the railway front, Sino-European trains are now connecting Daqing and Port of Zeebrugge, as well as Tangshan and Antwerp," he said, adding that China's first 20,000 TEU container ship COSCO Shipping Aries has visited the Port of Antwerp several times.

China-Belgium comprehensive and multi-level scientific and technological cooperation is on the rise as well.

Since 1979, China and Belgium have signed more than 70 technology-related cooperation agreements and implemented 470 intergovernmental science and technology cooperation projects.

"As Belgian microelectronics research is leading the world, many Chinese companies such as SMIC, Datang Telecom, Huawei and ZTE have signed cooperation agreements with the Interuniversity Microelectronics Center and Catholic University of Leuven," Cao said.

Meanwhile, the two countries have also started cooperating in other areas where Belgium is strong, such as the nuclear industry, aerospace technology, biomedicine, clean technology and resource recovery.

When talking about people-to-people exchanges, Cao said the number of tourists visiting Belgium is growing rapidly, while more than 400 Belgian students have applied to study in China this year and nearly 4,000 Chinese students are studying at major universities in Belgium.

"Under the personal care of the leaders of the two countries, the China-Belgium all-round partnership of friendship and cooperation will surely bear fruit in the golden autumn season and bring more wonderful things to the two peoples," Cao said.

Xinhua

 Partnership bears fruit

A visitor participating in China Open House Day, hosted by the Chinese mission to the European Union, shows her Chinese writing in Brussels, Belgium in mid-September. Zheng Huansong / Xinhua

(China Daily 10/19/2018 page15)

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