The Belgian business community is increasingly recognizing the benefits of win-win cooperation with China, presenting opportunities to boost employment in both countries and even confront global issues, according to Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking with China Global Television (CGTN), Dewit praised the achievements of 50 years of cooperation between China and Europe, pointing out that trade and economic exchanges between the two sides have significantly increased in the past decade.
"Over the past 50 years, cooperation between the EU and China has, I would say, seen significant progress. Indeed, when we look at the economic figures between the two sides, there has been a huge increase. We can see that the EU and China have, I think, a very strong interdependence. In particular, over the past 10 years, we have seen a steady increase in communication between the two sides," said Dewit.
According to the chairman, cooperation between China and the EU is crucial in economic, environmental, and social issues, and the two sides have shown a high level of consensus on issues including climate change and green sustainable development.
"I think it was what we call a win-win solution, and I believe we must continue on this path. There are already concrete elements, for example, the European Green Deal and China's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2060. All of these provides a framework for joint cooperation in green technologies, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation. All of this can also enable stronger economic growth, with job creation both in China and in Europe," he said.
Moreover, Belgian businesses have been noticing the impacts of China's continued opening-up efforts, sensing new opportunities to invest and promote people-to-people exchanges.
"I believe that the Chinese government, in recent months and in recent years, but especially in recent months, has shown that it intends to promote access to the Chinese market for foreign companies, particularly European companies. I believe this is a very good thing. There were small things, but they are very important. For example, in terms of convenience, I mean that people from certain countries no longer need a visa to travel to China. Here I'll take the identity of a Belgian as an example: for instance, we Belgians no longer need a visa if we stay for no more than one month," Dewitt said. "There are also regulatory facilitation measures: China has reduced the items on the negative list, that is, the list of products that foreign-funded enterprises cannot sell in China. China has reduced that so there's more openness in this area. It is also worth mentioning that over the past 40 years, we have witnessed the strengthening of China's regulatory system: laws and regulations have been increasingly improved, providing higher transparency and greater convenience for foreign entrepreneurs," said Dewit.
China shows clear intention of opening up to European companies: Belgian CoC chairman
China shows clear intention of opening up to European companies: Belgian CoC chairman
China shows clear intention of opening up to European companies: Belgian CoC chairman
