Vice-President Nicolas Williams,
Your Excellencies,
Dear Students,
Good evening! It is my great pleasure and honor to come to CERIS. Since its creation in 1985, CERIS has trained young students from more than 40 countries. I strongly believe as young people, you have the ability to shape and lead the future. So I am looking forward to today’s conversation with you on how to see today’s world, how to see today’s China, and how to see today’s China-EU relations.
Let me begin with today’s world. The world is undergoing profound changes and entering a new period of turbulence and transformation. Some scholars say we live in a polycrisis. Indeed, we see regional conflicts keep cropping up. Global economic recovery lacks momentum. And the backlash against globalization is growing. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted global development, widening the North-South gap and digital divides. Non-traditional threats, such as climate change, energy crisis, terrorism and cybersecurity, are spreading. Deficits in peace, development, security and governance are increasing.
Standing at a crossroads, our world faces a consequential choice of where to go. Some countries turn to unilateralism and protectionism and choose “homeland economics” to mesh national security and economic policy. Some, influenced by the Cold War and zero-sum game mentality, are building opposing blocs and provoking ideological confrontation. However, the majority of countries, including China, advocate multi-polarity and greater democracy in international relations, and believe that the trend of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefits is irreversible.
Against this backdrop, the question for us is how to overcome challenges and achieve common development. In China’s view, we should choose solidarity over division, cooperation over confrontation, and inclusiveness over exclusion. When it comes to global crises, the 190-plus countries are all in the same boat. No country, however strong it may be, can do everything on its own. We must engage in global cooperation, stay open and inclusive, and seek mutual benefits.
Committed to an independent foreign policy of peace, China respects the sovereignty and dignity of all countries, and calls for resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation. In China’s interactions with other countries, we advocate openness and inclusiveness, and we do not draw lines along ideology or form exclusive blocs. We believe that all countries, despite their differences in history and culture, social system or stage of development, should develop and prosper together. As a staunch supporter of multilateralism, China maintains that there is only one system for the world, which is the international system with the UN at its core, that there is only one order, which is the international order based on international law, and that there is only one set of rules, which is the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
Facing the myriad of global challenges, China’s answer is to build a global community for shared future. This vision was first put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and further developed in his speech at the United Nations Office in Geneva in 2017. Since 2021, China also launched the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. We believe countries should bear in mind the future of humanity while pursuing their own interests. It is important that we stand on the right side of history, and assume responsibilities for history, for the people and for the world, to tackle global risks and challenges and deliver a bright future of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit for future generations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
To understand today’s China, it’s necessary to look back a little bit at its history. From the mid-19th to mid-20th century, China experienced a period of war and turmoil, suffering a “century of humiliation”. It was in 1949 that the New China was founded under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Chinese nation achieved independence and liberation, and finally stood up. Then with the reform and opening up since 1978, China achieved rapid economic growth. When the CPC celebrated its centenary in 2021, China completed the building of a moderately prosperous society, and eliminated absolute poverty. We lifted a total of 770 million rural population out of poverty in the last few decades. We have also built the world’s largest education, social security and healthcare systems, and ensured both fast economic growth and long-term social stability.
When people talk about China, they often talk about China being the second largest economy. But few people know that its GDP per capita was just above the global average in 2021. China has 1.4 billion people. Given the size of the population, it has been extremely difficult to meet even people’s basic needs for food, employment, and child and elderly care. We need to realize that there are no more than 30 industrialized nations in the world, with a combined population of no more than 1 billion. So there is no precedent for China to follow in modernizing a country with such a big population. These are important factors that need to be taken into account in understanding why the CPC needs to play a central role in the Chinese society, and in understanding how difficult it has been for China to have made it this far.
In a short space of few decades, China has completed the industrialization process that took developed countries several hundred years to complete. The key to this success is that we have found a development path that suits our realities. Chinese modernization is unique in five aspects, namely, we have a huge population; we aim to achieve common prosperity that leaves no one behind; we focus on both material and cultural-ethical advancement; we seek harmony between humanity and nature; and we seek modernization through peaceful development. The modernization we are pursuing is not for China alone, but for all countries through our joint efforts. Having a correct understanding of the Chinese style of modernization can help people better understand the logic behind China’s domestic and foreign policies, and appreciate their high degree of consistency and continuity.
As President Xi Jinping pointed out, people’s aspiration for a better life is what guides our efforts. Everything we do, we do it to improve the lives of the Chinese people. It is not our intention to replace or unseat any other country. However strong we may grow, China will never seek hegemony, expansion, or any sphere of influence. Nor will China ever engage in an arms race. Of course, if someone wants to contain China, we will also not hesitate to defend our sovereignty, security and development interests, and our people’s right to a better life.
We firmly believe that China can only do well when the world is doing well; and that when China does well, the world will get even better. China will always be a contributor to world peace and development and a defender of international law. To fulfill its responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council, China has dispatched over 50,000 peacekeepers to more than 20 countries and regions for UN peacekeeping operations in the past 30 years. We never seek geopolitical interests, but push for de-escalation of regional hotspots, and call for a balanced approach to accommodating the interests of all parties concerned and addressing their respective legitimate concerns.
China is also a global growth engine. A World Bank report shows that from 2013 to 2021, China’s contribution to global economic growth averaged 38.6 percent. China has become a main trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions and a primary source of investment for more countries. China’s development will bring to the world opportunities, rather than threats. China has over 500 million middle-income earners, a number higher than the total population of the EU combined, and there is bound to be more opportunities in the huge Chinese market as we continue our urbanization process. Going ahead, China will promote high-standard opening up, uphold economic globalization and stay committed to an open world economy. We hope to contribute to global development and welcome others to benefit from our development.
Two days ago, China hosted the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Over the past 10 years, Belt and Road cooperation has gotten off the ground, grown rapidly and produced rewarding results. It has extended from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America, and expanded from physical connectivity to institutional connectivity. With the goal of promoting high-standard, people-centered and sustainable cooperation, it has boosted the flow of goods, capital, technologies and human resources and injected fresh vitality into the millennia-old Silk Road. In a few days time, the 6th China International Import Expo will take place in Shanghai. Many well-known European brands, including Siemens, IKEA, and Morand, are frequent participants to the Expo, and high-quality products from Europe are very popular among Chinese consumers. We look forward to having more European exhibitors at this year’s Expo.
Turning to the China-EU relations, I wish to emphasize that from China’s perspective, we believe that China and the EU are two major forces upholding world peace, two major markets promoting common development, and two major civilizations advancing human progress. We view our relationship with the EU from a strategic and long-term perspective, regarding the EU as a strategic force and a diplomatic priority. Based on shared interests and strategic aspirations, this relationship enjoys solid political and public support. Both sides support multi-polarity and economic globalization, and believe in multilateralism. There are many things we can do together. It’s fair to say that the relationship between China and the EU not only concerns the well-being of both sides, but also has a direct impact on global strategic stability.
This relationship is not targeted at any third party, nor should it be dependent on or dictated by any third party. During his recent visit to China, High Representative Josep Borrell said that he hopes that China could take the EU seriously. Likewise, we also hope that the EU and its member states take China more seriously and do not develop relations with other countries at the expense of China-EU relations or China’s interests. I believe that more and more European leaders will see where their interests really lie, and have the courage, ability and wisdom to achieve strategic autonomy. In this uncertain world, it’s essential that China and the EU work closely to promote the common development and prosperity of humanity.
Since arriving here last December, I have talked to friends from various sectors and felt their enthusiasm for strengthening cooperation with China. And our relations have maintained sound momentum of growth since the end of last year, which needs to be cherished by both sides. We received the visits of many European leaders, including President Michel and President von de Leyen as well as leaders of Germany, France and Spain. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other high-level delegations also visited Europe. In addition, the two sides held high-level dialogues on environment and climate, digital affairs, economy and trade, and the strategic dialogue, as well as dialogues on human rights, fisheries, ocean governance and energy. We also plan to hold the China-EU Summit in Beijing by the end of this year, which I believe will provide strong political guidance for and inject new impetus into our relationship.
Looking forward, I am confident about the prospect of the China-EU relations. But there are also challenges. In 2019, the EU designated China as a partner, competitor and systemic rival. And recently, the rivalry aspect seems to be more prominent in the eyes of some European politicians. From China’s perspective, we disagree with this triple definition. We believe we are more partners than rivals. Of course, economic competition is normal, yet attempts to decouple, even in the name of de-risking, serve no one’s interests. China and the EU are far away from each other geographically. There is no fundamental conflict of interests. Instead, we stand to benefit from each other’s development. In our view, we can cooperate and compete, but there is no reason to be rivals.
However, we have seen some negative developments which we are quite concerned about. This June, The EU listed Huawei and ZTE as high-risk vendors without giving any concrete evidence or going through any proper procedures. It recently initiated an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles from China. And there are also reports that it may launch anti-subsidy probes into Chinese wind turbines, PV components and steel and aluminum industries. We do hope that this is not a prelude to a trade war against China. We know that the EU wants to strengthen resilience. But the issue of dependency should be viewed objectively, and not exaggerated. Interdependence is a product of globalization and should be welcomed. What we really need is leveling upward in our relations, which is the right way to reduce risks.
On people-to-people dimension, we also face growing obstacles, as being tough on China now seems to become a politically correct thing to do. People-to-people exchanges are an important pillar of China-EU relations. We hope leading universities like ULB could play a role in strengthening exchanges and cooperation with their Chinese counterparts, so that more Chinese students have the opportunity to come to the Heart of Europe and get to know Europe.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This year marks the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, as well as the 20th anniversary of our comprehensive strategic partnership. We have reaped fruitful outcomes in past exchanges. So it is only natural for us to further our cooperation, both for the development of China and the EU, and for the sake of the world. According to the Resilient EU2030 report issued by the Spanish Presidency, in a severely fragmented global economy, the world GDP could shrink by 8% to 12%. What I want to emphasize is that the world will not inevitably fall into different blocs or become fragmented. Actually, how the world will look like tomorrow will to a large extent depend on the choices that China and the EU make today.
So looking forward, we need to first rebuild mutual trust and reduce mutual suspicion. With very different historical and cultural traditions, political systems and stages of development, it is nothing abnormal that there are things that we see differently. The EU advocates unity in diversity while we believe in harmony without uniformity. This shows that we both respect and embrace differences. As a matter of fact, the common interests between China and the EU far outweigh differences. Therefore, we must not allow our differences to define our relations, or allow differences in one area to spill over into other areas. An important part of my job here is to improve the political atmosphere. It’s my sincere hope that all of us could work together to enhance political mutual trust between the two sides.
Second, we need to pursue openness rather than restrictions. Despite a slowing world economy, China-EU trade hit another record high of 847.3 billion US dollars last year, with a year-on-year increase of 2.4 percent. We are each other’s second-biggest trading partners. There is nearly 100 million US dollars of goods traded between the two sides every hour. During the 10th Economic and Trade High-Level Dialogue held last month, we reached consensus or made progress on macroeconomic policy coordination, industrial and supply chains cooperation, the improvement of business environment, WTO reform, financial sector openness and regulatory cooperation. The China-Europe Railway Express, with more than 78,000 trips in the past 11 years, has reached over 200 cities in 25 countries and regions in Europe, and created tens of thousands of local jobs. However, some politicians are now generalizing the concept of security and politicizing China-EU economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. Bilateral trade has decreased somewhat since the beginning of this year. We are concerned about this trend and believe it’s unnecessary to impose any restrictions.
Third, we need to take shared responsibilities rather than exclude each other. Multilateralism is a common language between China and the EU, and there is broad consensus and space for cooperation in upholding multilateralism, addressing climate change and improving global governance. Cooperation between the two sides will inject more stability into the world. At the just-concluded 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping announced China’s eight major steps aimed at supporting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. For example, we will build a multidimensional connectivity network, which includes efforts to speed up high-quality development of the China-Europe Railway Express, participate in the trans-Caspian international transportation corridor, and build a new logistics corridor across the Eurasian continent linked by direct railway and road transportation. We will also support an open world economy by signing free trade agreements and investment protection treaties with more countries. And we will carry out more “small yet smart” livelihood programs and deepen green cooperation with other countries. We believe that both as platforms of cooperation, China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the EU’s Global Gateway should complement each other and succeed together. China is ready to explore with the EU the possibility of complementing our development initiatives, and seeking cooperation in third markets in areas of green, low-carbon and clean energy.
In this turbulent and challenging world, the global significance of China-EU relations is becoming more pronounced. I am confident that by working together, we can create a better future for us and for the whole world. As Chinese Ambassador to the EU, I am ready to be a good listener and facilitator, and do everything I can to promote the development of China-EU relations. I always believe that there are no issues that cannot be solved as long as we maintain communication and dialogue.
As people often say, seeing is believing. So in conclusion, I would like to invite you to go and visit China. I hope that you can discover China with your own eyes, and have a comprehensive understanding of the country.
Now, I would be happy to entertain some questions. Thank you.