On November 6, 2019, Wang Hongjian, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Mission to the EU, attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the Eurasian Connectivity and Industrial Cooperation Forum organized by FERRMED. The conference brought together Joan Amorós, FERRMED President, Antonio Tajani, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and former President of the European Parliament, and Zhai Zheng, Deputy Secretary General of Zhengzhou Municipal Government, as well as representatives of the European business community.
Charge d’Affaires Wang Hongjian said in his speech that the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Connectivity Strategy originate from the same vision and are not contradictory but parallel and mutually reinforcing. There has been a remarkable degree of consensus between the two sides on the connectivity strategy and notable results have been achieved. The Belt and Road Initiative has entered a stage of high-quality development. China and the EU should seize the opportunity to work closer with each other on green infrastructure, innovation and industries and produce more practical results in boosting Eurasian connectivity for a world of openness, cooperation, peace and prosperity.
European delegates at the conference noted the crucial importance of deepened connectivity to the future of both Europe and Asia. The EU’s Eurasian Connectivity Strategy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative have presented new opportunities for the development of railway industries in Europe and Asia and industrial cooperation in regions along the Belt and Road. The European business community is ready to have pragmatic cooperation with Eurasian countries including China to boost Eurasian connectivity on all fronts.
