Distinguished Chairman Bernard Dewit of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce,

Distinguished President Jean-Michel Saive of the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends from the Business Community, 

Good Evening. It is such a pleasure to attend this dinner event. 

At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Belgian athletes have put in their hard work and made two historic breakthroughs: the first gold medal in 74 years and the first medal by a female athlete. The performance of the athletes speaks to the Olympic spirit. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium and in my own name, I wish to, once again, extend warm congratulations to President Saive and the Belgian delegation. 

The Olympic Movement embodies humankind’s aspiration for peace, solidarity and progress. Committed to organizing a green, inclusive, open and clean Games, China has made every effort to counter the impact of COVID-19 and presented to the world a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympic Games. This would not have been possible without the understanding and support of Belgium and other countries. On this occasion, let me express appreciation to the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee and the Belgian delegation. 

Greater public participation in winter sport contributes to the Olympic Movement. By preparing for and organizing the Olympic Winter Games and promoting Olympic winter sport, China has achieved the goal of engaging 300 million Chinese in sport on snow and ice. In the snow and ice seasons of 2021 and 2022, China’s snow and ice tourism has generated a revenue of 323.3 billion yuan. This passion for snow and ice will bring huge business opportunities to countries around the world. 

Friends, 

On the Olympic field of play, athletes have pursued the Olympic spirit of higher, faster and stronger; On the field of play of the global market, Chinese and Belgian businesses have also worked hard to expand cooperation and sharpen competitive edge, in a bid to set the pace. 

Last year, President Xi Jinping and King Philippe exchanged congratulatory messages for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Belgium, and Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo held a virtual meeting. By working together, the Chinese and Belgian business communities have turned in an impressive score sheet. Bilateral trade reached 38.95 billion US dollars, up by 36.3 percent year-on-year. It shows again that China-Belgium and China-Europe business relations enjoy extensive common interest and broad cooperation space. Win-win cooperation is the only right choice for us. 

We thank all present for your efforts to promote China-Belgium economic ties over the years. I hope that you will continue to contribute to a new chapter of China-Belgium practical cooperation. 

First, it is important to stay confident in China’s high-quality development. During the annual two sessions of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), General Secretary Xi Jinping expounded the strategic opportunities and distinctive strengths of China. He noted that China’s development enjoys five strategically conducive conditions, namely the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the great strengths of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, the solid foundation of continued fast development, the social environment of long-term stability and the power of confidence and resilience. On 10 April, China released guidelines on developing a unified national market at a faster pace. This will lay a more solid foundation of market rules and systems for China’s high-quality development. 

In 2021, China’s GDP reached 17.7 trillion US dollars, up by 8.1 percent and accounting for over 18 percent of the global economy. China’s economic performance has integrated relatively high growth rate, low inflation and good employment. In the second half of 2022, the CPC will hold its 20th National Congress. With a target of around 5.5 percent GDP growth, China will continue to coordinate epidemic control and economic and social development, fully implement the new development philosophy, and build a new development paradigm at a faster pace. We welcome the participation of Belgian businesses to share the dividend of China’s high-quality economic development. 

Second, it is important to understand China’s resolve for high-standard opening-up. Over the past two decades, China has fully delivered on its accession commitments to the WTO. Its overall tariff rate has been cut from 15.3 percent to 7.4 percent, lower than the 9.8 percent accession commitment. The Chinese government has set up a domestic economic management system on par with international economic and trade rules and systems, invigorating the market and the society. More openness has not only contributed to China’s own development, but also to the development and prosperity of the world. China has become the world’s largest trader in goods, second largest trader in services, and a major trading partner of over 120 countries and regions. Over the past 20 years, China has contributed an average of nearly 30 percent to global growth annually. 

It is stated in China’s Report of the Work of the Government for 2022 that China will pursue higher-standard opening-up and promote stable growth of foreign trade and investment. Such higher-standard opening-up means an even bigger market for Belgium and other countries. We hope that Belgian businesses will seize opportunities, harness your strengths, and continue to expand trade with and investment in China to realize shared development. 

Third, it is important to stay committed to China-Belgium mutual trust. The world today is faced with many major risks and challenges. The more critical the situation, the greater the need to stay levelheaded and rational. We need to offset uncertainties in the international landscape with the stability of China-Europe relations. For sound and steady cooperation between China and Belgium, a correct understanding is the precondition, mutual trust is the basis, and proper settlement of differences is the key. As China and Belgium have different national conditions and social systems, it is important to respect each other and seek common ground while shelving differences to pursue shared development. 

The economic and trade ties between China and Belgium and between China and Europe are fundamentally win-win, not where one wins at the expense of the other. Politicizing economy and trade, decoupling and building up walls will only hurt the global industrial and supply chains, and undermine our cooperation basis and common interests. We stand ready to work with Europe and Belgium to increase trust and develop cooperation. We need to uphold openness, follow WTO rules, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese and Belgian businesses. We need to uphold inclusiveness, prevent geopolitical and ideological factors from affecting our economic and trade cooperation, which might scare away investors. We need to uphold cooperation, fully respect economic and market rules, make the pie bigger, and solve some specific differences or issues through cooperation to achieve mutual benefits. 

We hope the business community will continue to play the role of a bridge so that sectors from China and Belgium can have an objective and reasonable view about each other and our cooperation story can be better heard. This will create a good atmosphere for practical cooperation between China and Europe and China and Belgium. 

Friends, 

The Beijing Winter Olympics has successfully concluded, yet the motto of “Together for a Shared Future” stays in our heart. Let us keep our confidence, resolve and commitment to make greater contribution to China-Belgium practical cooperation and embrace a brighter future together.

Thank you.