Presently, adjustments unseen in a century are unfolding extra shortly, the worldwide safety surroundings stays unstable, international financial restoration is susceptible and twisted, and unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. The extra complicated and difficult the scenario is, the extra essential it’s for nations to have shut cooperation and communication.
As famous by Chinese language President Xi Jinping, openness is the certain technique to understand human prosperity and development. Protectionism can solely boomerang and decoupling and provide chain disruption will damage each those that apply them and others. China is dedicated to upholding commerce and funding liberalization and facilitation, and secure international industrial and provide chains. China has made an essential contribution to constructing an open world financial system with concrete actions. Thus far, China has been a significant buying and selling accomplice for over 130 nations and areas. Over the previous decade, China’s complete commerce in items has been 262.3 trillion yuan, of which imports have been 117.6 trillion yuan, an annual development of 4.7 per cent. China will proceed to pursue high-standard opening-up and foster a brand new growth paradigm at a sooner tempo. China will solely open its door wider. The sound and regular growth of the Chinese language financial system will proceed to be translated into alternatives for the broader world.
Each China and Belgium firmly assist globalization and an open world financial system, and resolutely uphold multilateralism. Financial, commerce and funding cooperation between the 2 nations has loved a great momentum. China stays Belgium’s third-largest buying and selling accomplice exterior the EU, and Belgium is China’s seventh-largest buying and selling accomplice throughout the EU. Regardless of the pandemic, China-Belgium commerce has been rising. Within the first eight months of this yr, bilateral commerce exceeded 28.7 billion US {dollars}, a year-on-year improve of 14.3%. This has made a optimistic contribution to selling secure international industrial and provide chains and the post-COVID restoration of the world financial system.
Nevertheless, a sure Belgian scholar printed a so-called “report” not too long ago, falsely accusing Chinese language corporations of getting political and army functions in finishing up port cooperation with the Belgian aspect. It claimed that “every Chinese language ship is a ship of warfare” and that “the crews mainly encompass army personnel”, and referred to as for much less dependence on China. The related remarks are usually not true. The Chinese language authorities has at all times requested Chinese language corporations to strictly abide by native legal guidelines and rules when working abroad and to hold out sensible cooperation within the spirit of mutual advantages. Cooperation between Chinese language transport corporations and Belgian corporations and ports is only industrial, the ships involved are all civilian ships, and the crews are all workers of the related corporations. There aren’t any political or army functions.
The various cooperation initiatives with funding from Chinese language corporations have introduced actual advantages for each China and Belgium. For instance, within the container terminal in Zeebrugge alone, COSCO Transport has created 360 native jobs since its enterprise began in Belgium and is anticipated to create one other 100 jobs in 2023. On high of that, the throughput of its inbound and outbound loaded containers to and from Belgian ports elevated quickly, additional elevating the worldwide profile of Belgian ports. One other instance is Cainiao Community, the Alibaba e-hub, at Liège Airport. Along with creating direct and oblique employment alternatives for the area people, this challenge has additionally made it simpler for high quality merchandise by small and medium-sized enterprises in Belgium and different European nations to entry the Chinese language market and attain extra Chinese language customers, cementing the function of Belgium and its Wallonia area as logistics hubs in Europe.
Given their completely different histories, cultures and social programs, it is just pure for China and Belgium to have completely different views in some areas. What’s essential for the 2 nations is to uphold mutual respect and mutual advantages, and promote exchanges and cooperation throughout the board with a down-to-earth perspective. It’s a real hope that in several sectors in Belgium, individuals of imaginative and prescient can have an goal and honest view of the fruitful cooperation and exchanges between China and Belgium, have an neutral and rational view of Chinese language corporations doing enterprise in Belgium and do extra issues that contribute to China-Belgium sensible cooperation and to the good thing about individuals of the 2 nations.
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