Belgian Ambassador to China: "I hope to go to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games to watch ski competitions"

Ambassador of Belgium to China Gao Yang (Courtesy of belgian embassy in China)

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium. In an interview with overseas networks a few days ago, Belgian Ambassador to China Gao Yang said that he hoped to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to promote the sustainable development of friendly relations between Belgium and China.

To congratulate the two countries on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Belgian Embassy in China recently released the series of films "50 Years of China-Belgium: A Journey of Friendship". According to Gao Yang, the film includes chocolate, beer, football, pigeon racing and other Belgian elements. Although due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, many celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations can only be held online, But Gao Yang said that Chinese love digital products, online activities can radiate to many provinces and cities in China outside Beijing to promote people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. "Through these activities, we hope to discover the warm little stories between the two countries and bring the people of the two countries closer together." We want to find inspiration from this and better promote mutual understanding. As an ambassador, my mission is to bring our relationships closer together. Gao Yang said.

Over the past 50 years, people-to-people exchanges between China and Belgium have continued to develop, and economic and trade cooperation has become increasingly close. When Gao Yang visited various parts of China, he found that many Belgian enterprises have been deeply integrated into the Chinese industrial chain and have achieved fruitful cooperation in logistics, chemical industry, medicine and other fields. He said that at the beginning of China's reform and development, Belgian enterprises invested in China to set up factories. Shanghai Bell, a joint venture between China and China, is the first joint venture in China's communications industry after the reform and opening up, and Xi'an Janssen Pharmaceutical is also one of the first batch of capital-owned enterprises established in China. In 2019, The Belgian Princess Astrid led a large economic and trade delegation of more than 600 members to visit China, which shows that the Belgian business community is full of interest in developing trade with China. Belgium not only has delicious chocolate, but also thousands of beers, he said, and "everyone can find their favorite flavors."

Gao Yang also welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Belgium. He said that Chinese companies have set up e-commerce trade centers in Belgium to invest in logistics infrastructure, "which is very important for Belgium." Belgium is highly globalized, with the EU headquarters located in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Many companies are headquartered in Brussels, not only because of the European Union, but also because of Belgium's strategic location. Belgium is located in the center of Europe, is a sea, land and air transportation hub, connecting East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, North America, "I hope That Chinese investors can make full use of belgium's advantages."

Talking about the expectations for future cooperation between the two countries, Gao Yang hoped that the two sides would deepen cooperation in a wide range of fields such as climate change, health, vaccines, digitalization and international logistics. "Belgium has always advocated multilateralism, which can solve global problems. It is hoped that Belgium and China will continue to deepen cooperation in this regard in the future. ”

At the end of the interview, Gao Yang expressed his expectations for the Beijing Winter Olympics. He introduced that Belgium will send a large sports delegation to participate, and he himself is very eager to watch the game. "Skiing is one of my favorite sports, and I want to go to the Beijing Winter Olympics to watch the ski competition!" Gao Yang said. (Wu Zhengdan)

Source: Overseas Network