Former Brazilian president pledges to promote bilateral ties with China

China

Former Brazilian president pledges to promote bilateral ties with China

2024-09-29 16:52 Last Updated At：17:37

Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank (NDB) and former Brazilian president, said she will redouble efforts to promote cooperation and relationship between China and Brazil after she received the Friendship Medal in Beijing on Sunday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented the Friendship Medal to Rousseff at a ceremony held to award the highest state honors to 15 distinguished individuals.

The golden and blue Friendship Medals are China's highest state honor for foreigners, reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the world, and safeguarding world peace.

In her speech after receiving the medal, Rousseff expressed her gratitude for the honor and commended China's marked development feat in the past four decades.

"I am deeply honored that the government of the People's Republic of China awarded me the Friendship Medal. This medal confirms the solid ties of friendly cooperation between our two countries and two peoples. I am extremely grateful for the trust and friendship offered by the Chinese government. I would like to express my gratitude to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people for granting me this honor," she said.

"Over more than 40 years, China has made remarkable development achievements. Accelerated economic transformations, technological innovation and extraordinary social development have enabled China to rise into a world power and become a beacon of hope to bring enlightenment to the world. China's persistence on reform and opening up has not only lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, but also made outstanding contribution to world economic growth and global stability," said Rousseff.

She gave credit to Xi for upholding multilateralism and enhancing global collaboration and said she would work flat out to promote China-Brazil cooperation across the board going forward.

"As the former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, I have had the privilege of working with many global leaders. I think President Xi Jinping is a true champion in promoting international cooperation and a strong defender of multilateralism. Your leadership is crucial to advancing global governance, addressing global challenges and promoting the formation of a more equitable and more just international order. President Xi Jinping, I am particularly proud that we jointly announced the establishment of the New Development Bank in Brazil in 2014 during the meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)," said the NDB president.

"After receiving the Friendship Medal, I reiterate that I will continue to make unremitting efforts to strengthen China-Brazil cooperation based on mutual benefits. China and Brazil are friends and partners and share common interests in promoting world peace, stability and prosperity. I will do my best to promote the development of bilateral ties and bolster cooperation between the two countries in the fields of development, trade, investment, education, culture and other fields," she said.

China voices grave concern over draft revision of EU Cybersecurity Act

China has expressed grave concern over a draft revision of the European Union (EU)'s Cybersecurity Act, stating that it politicizes trade and economic issues and overstretches the concept of security, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

China formally submitted its comments to the European Commission on April 17, outlining its serious concerns and official position, a ministry spokesperson said.

According to the spokesperson, the draft introduces highly subjective and arbitrary "non-technical risks" in the name of cybersecurity and supply chain security.

In particular, the draft would identify "countries posing cybersecurity concerns" and "high-risk suppliers," and exclude listed countries and suppliers from relevant EU supply chains across 18 sectors, including energy, transport, and information and communications technology, according to the spokesperson.

In the comments submitted to the European Commission, China pointed out that the draft may violate basic World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, including the principle of most-favored-nation treatment and the principle of national treatment, as well as the EU's specific commitments on trade in services.

The draft is also suspected of exceeding the EU's legal authority by encroaching on member states' exclusive powers in managing national security affairs.

If adopted, it would cause substantive harm to China-EU economic and trade relations, severely disrupt global industrial and supply chains, and weigh on the EU's own digital and green transition, said the spokesperson.

China has urged the EU to remove provisions related to "countries posing cybersecurity concerns" and "non-technical risks," and to delete or substantially revise the criteria for identifying "high-risk suppliers" and the related restrictive measures.

China also expressed hope that the EU will give due consideration to the submitted comments and proposed revisions, strictly abide by WTO rules, avoid discriminatory restrictive measures, and safeguard the stability and smooth operation of China-EU and global industrial and supply chains.

China will closely follow the progress of the draft revision and stands ready to engage in dialogue with the EU on the matter, the spokesperson said, warning that should the EU insist on turning the draft into law and discriminate against Chinese companies, China would have to take corresponding countermeasures.

China hopes the EU will not underestimate China's firm resolve to safeguard national interests and the lawful rights and interests of its companies, and to prevent China-EU economic and trade ties from backsliding, according to the spokesperson.