Chinese President Xi Jinping visited an international logistics hub in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday to learn the local efforts to accelerate the development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in west China.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made an inspection tour to Chongqing from Monday to Tuesday.
Located in the municipality's Shapingba District, the hub park is the departure station for both China-Europe freight trains and rail-sea inter-modal trains of the New International Land-sea Trade Corridor in west China.
The park, with a planned area of 35.5 square kilometers, has covered 22 square kilometers thus far.
With a modern logistics system, the park sees 62 international train routes pass Chongqing in four directions through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the China-Europe freight trains, the Chongqing-Manzhouli-Russia international railway freight service, and Chongqing-Ningbo sea-rail international freight service, reaching 500-plus ports in over 100 countries.
Thanks to the local efforts in pushing for logistics development, Chongqing, together with Chengdu, capital of the neighboring Sichuan Province, has outperformed other China-Europe freight train operators in the country.
The thriving transportation sector in Chongqing is expected to give a strong boost to the municipality's efforts to become an open highland in the hinterland.
Xi visits international logistics hub park in Chongqing
Xi visits international logistics hub park in Chongqing
A French student from the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University recently called for more educational exchanges between the two countries.
During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Bouaoud Elies shared his experience living and studying in China.
After graduating from the business school at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Elies decided to stay in the country. He said he continues to study Chinese to improve his competitiveness and explore the huge trade opportunities between the two countries.
"I mean I love it here. I don't want to go back to France. I would like to become the bridge between France and China. So, if I can do this, thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, the Silk Road, now the relations between France and China are very good. So, I think a lot of things will happen," he said.
Elies also said he hopes that more French students could visit China and develop a better understanding of the country.
France was the first major western country to establish full diplomatic ties with China, and the history of educational exchanges can be traced back more than a century and a half when China sent its students to France to study maritime affairs.
Since then, exchanges have deepened considerably.
"In China, we have established 14 French training centers. In France, we have established 19 Confucius Institutes. These institutions serve as bridges for mutual understanding and trust between the youth and people of the two countries, enhancing language and cultural connections," said Yang Dan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges under the Ministry of Education.
French student calls for more educational exchanges with China
