On September 19, 2023, the 2nd Global Geographical Indication Products Expo was held in Luzhou, Sichuan Province. Ambassador Fu Cong, Head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, was invited to deliver a video message at the opening ceremony.

Ambassador Fu said that Sichuan, known as the land of abundance, boasts a long history and rich resources, with its geographical indications (GI) products renowned both at home and abroad. Thanks to unique cultural and geographic conditions, Luzhou city is home to a myriad of famous GI product, including Luzhou Laojiao liquor, Fenshui oil-paper umbrellas, Hejiang Litchi, not to mention Naxi early-spring tea, which has been included in the first batch of GI products under the China-EU GI Agreement. This Expo is highly relevant as we celebrate the third anniversary of the signing of the agreement this year.

Ambassador Fu pointed out that China and the EU are two major forces, markets and civilizations in this multi-polar world, and China-EU relations bear on the well-being of both sides, global development and prosperity, and the stability of the global landscape. In recent years, China and the EU have made great progress in practical cooperation in various fields, with expanding areas of cooperation, and deepening economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people contacts and green development. As a concrete example of the practical cooperation, the China-EU GI Agreement embodies the principle of complementarity and mutual benefit. Today’s Expo is not only a platform of exhibiting GI products from both ends of the Eurasian continent, but also an event of openness, mutual trust, tolerance and mutual understanding that promotes both commercial and cultural exchanges. I am confident that through this Expo, more high-quality agricultural products and GI products will be known to the people of both sides, thereby allowing China-EU cooperation to flourish.

Ambassador Fu emphasized that the 20th Party Congress has started a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all aspects. China will stay committed to the policy of opening up, pursue an opening up strategy that is mutual beneficial, promote openness at a higher level, in order to create more new opportunities and new space of cooperation for the world. The Chinese Mission to the EU will work with all parties to further promote GI products from China and Europe, and facilitate greater cooperation between businesses on both sides.

This year’s Expo, with Italy as the guest of honor, was attended by more than 800 Chinese and foreign GI companies and over 3,000 GI products from 20-plus countries and regions, including France, Poland and Slovenia.