No Images? Click here Asian and European leaders gather in Brussels for 12th ASEM SummitChina and EU to strengthen Eurasian cooperation in connectivity, trade, environment Newsletter October 2018 Ambassador Zhang emphasises common goals for upcoming Asia-Europe meetingAmbassador Zhang Ming highlighted that China and Europe face similar challenges and share common goals in an interview with EURACTIV ahead of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) this month. "China stands ready to join forces with other members to safeguard multilateralism, forge stronger partnerships, and strengthen the Asia-Europe cooperation in an open spirit for the benefit of all," he said. The summit will take place between 18 - 19 October in Brussels and will focus on improving connectivity, trade and environmental cooperation between Europe and Asia. 13th EU-China Business & Technology Fair strengthens links between entrepreneursAt the 13th EU-China Innovation & Cooperation conference more than 1500 public and private sector participants gathered in Qingdao and Chengdu to foster B2B relations between Chinese and European companies. An annual milestone, the fair provides a platform for joint innovation between two of the world's leading economies. EU Commissioner Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elżbieta Bieńkowska highlighted the importance of the China-EU partnership for innovation in her opening speech, adding that the EU-China Connectivity Platform is helping both parties to collaborate on specific projects. Read more China celebrates its National Day in Brussels on 40th anniversary of opening up The Chinese Mission to the EU hosted a reception in celebration of the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 25 September, marking on this occasion the 40th anniversary of the country's opening up. Ambassador Zhang Ming emphasised that partnerships were important for China's success. “Over the last 69 years we achieved a lot economically, socially & culturally, thanks to the hard work of Chinese people and cooperation with partners including the EU, Belgium and other Member States," he said. In this spirit "China will firmly uphold WTO rules and the multilateral trading system.” Read more. China supports highway construction in MontenegroChina is providing expertise and funds to construct a 41-km-long road in Montenegro, in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. This is the first phase of a 180-km-long highway which will link the Adriatic port of Bar to landlocked Serbia. According to the IMF the highway can significantly boost the country's economic growth, with a 4.4 percent increase already registered in 2017. The World Bank affirmed that the construction's contribution to growth will remain strong in 2018. The highway is among others expected to boost Montenegro's tourism sector by developing mountain-area infrastructure. Read more. Chinese Mission hosts annual Open House DayThe Chinese Mission's annual Open House Day on 15 September showcased some of China's greatest cultural trademarks such as Qigong performances, ping-pong tournaments and dragon dances, as well as a virtual reality trip to China. Belgian table tennis legends the Saive brothers gave a professional demonstration of ping-pong, which is considered to be China's national sport. Ambassador Zhang Ming in his opening remarks highlighted the major changes China has undergone in the last 40 years. He invited everyone to go to China to see the remarkable depevelopments in light of the EU-China tourism year. Read more. |