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The sound development momentum of China-Belgium economic and trade cooperation needs to be cherished and cared for

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Currently, changes unseen in a century are unfolding more quickly, the international security environment remains volatile, global economic recovery is vulnerable and twisted, and unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. The more complex and challenging the situation is, the more important it is for countries to have close cooperation and communication.

As noted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, openness is the sure way to realize human prosperity and advancement. Protectionism can only boomerang and decoupling and supply chain disruption will hurt both those who practice them and others. China is committed to upholding trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and stable global industrial and supply chains. China has made an important contribution to building an open world economy with concrete actions. So far, China has been a major trading partner for over 130 countries and regions. Over the past decade, China’s total trade in goods has been 262.3 trillion yuan, of which imports have been 117.6 trillion yuan, an annual growth of 4.7 per cent. China will continue to pursue high-standard opening-up and foster a new development paradigm at a faster pace. China will only open its door wider. The sound and steady development of the Chinese economy will continue to be translated into opportunities for the wider world.

Both China and Belgium firmly support globalization and an open world economy, and resolutely uphold multilateralism. Economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has enjoyed a good momentum. China remains Belgium’s third-largest trading partner outside the EU, and Belgium is China’s seventh-largest trading partner within the EU. Despite the pandemic, China-Belgium trade has been growing. In the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade exceeded 28.7 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 14.3%. This has made a positive contribution to promoting stable global industrial and supply chains and the post-COVID recovery of the world economy.

However, a certain Belgian scholar published a so-called “report” recently, falsely accusing Chinese companies of having political and military purposes in carrying out port cooperation with the Belgian side. It claimed that “each Chinese ship is a ship of war” and that “the crews chiefly consist of military personnel”, and called for less dependence on China. The relevant remarks are not true. The Chinese government has always asked Chinese companies to strictly abide by local laws and regulations when operating overseas and to carry out practical cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefits. Cooperation between Chinese shipping companies and Belgian companies and ports is purely commercial, the ships concerned are all civilian ships, and the crews are all employees of the relevant companies. There are no political or military purposes.

The many cooperation projects with investment from Chinese companies have brought real benefits for both China and Belgium. For example, in the container terminal in Zeebrugge alone, COSCO Shipping has created 360 local jobs since its business started in Belgium and is expected to create another 100 jobs in 2023. On top of that, the throughput of its inbound and outbound loaded containers to and from Belgian ports increased rapidly, further elevating the international profile of Belgian ports. Another example is Cainiao Network, the Alibaba e-hub, at Liège Airport. In addition to creating direct and indirect employment opportunities for the local community, this project has also made it easier for quality products by small and medium-sized enterprises in Belgium and other European countries to access the Chinese market and reach more Chinese consumers, cementing the role of Belgium and its Wallonia region as logistics hubs in Europe.

Given their different histories, cultures and social systems, it is only natural for China and Belgium to have different views in some areas. What is important for the two countries is to uphold mutual respect and mutual benefits, and promote exchanges and cooperation across the board with a down-to-earth attitude. It is a genuine hope that in different sectors in Belgium, people of vision can have an objective and fair view of the fruitful cooperation and exchanges between China and Belgium, have an impartial and rational view of Chinese companies doing business in Belgium and do more things that contribute to China-Belgium practical cooperation and to the benefit of people of the two countries.

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EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

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