CPAFFC President Lin Songtian meets European Chamber President Jorg Wuttke

Fan Lili

O n Aug 2， Lin Songtian， president of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， met with J？rg Wuttke， president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China， and his wife.

The two sides had candid in-depth exchanges on the crisis in Ukraine， the global economic situation， COVID-19 prevention and control， international exchanges， China-EU cooperation with Africa and other issues.

Also attending were Guido Giacconi， vice-president of the European Chamber； Gao Yan， CEO of thyssenkrupp Greater China； and Hao Zhongwei， deputy director-general of the Department of European & Asian Affairs of the CPAFFC.

Lin said he appreciated Wuttkes long partnership with China， his witness of Chinas tremendous achievements in economic and social devel- opment over the past 40 years and the historic changes of the new era. Wuttke has led the European Chamber to put down roots in China， actively promoted China-EU economic and trade exchanges and cooperation and made unremitting efforts and positive contributions to China-Germany and ChinaEU friendly cooperation， Lin noted.

Lin listed Chinas achievements in reform and opening-up over the past four decades. He said that in the first half of this year the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical crises had triggered a sharp slowdown in global economic growth and brought high inflation. Against this backdrop， Chinas economic aggregate grew by 2.5 percent year on year， foreign trade by 9.4 percent and actually used foreign capital by 17.4 percent， demonstrating strong resilience once again. The world is facing the risks and challenges of COVID-19， climate change， a food crisis and economic recession， and no economy is immune. Solidarity and cooperation are the only way to overcome global challenges， he said.

Lin said that China and the European Union are important forces for maintaining world peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity. The two sides are committed to building a partnership for peace， growth， reform and civilization and to bringing together the two markets and civilizations.

Lin noted that the opening of China-Europe freight trains has connected more than 190 cities in 24 European countries and become an important link of interest between Asia and Europe. He added that China and Europe are highly complementary and enjoy broad prospects in mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation， especially in low-carbon and green innovation fields and the digital economy.

“China is ready to firmly support the EU in achieving strategic independence and economic prosperity，” Lin said. “The two sides should enhance mutual understanding， friendship and trust， as well as remain committed to win-win cooperation and common development and firmly safeguard the fundamental interests of China， Europe and their peoples.”

Lin explained Chinas latest epidemic prevention policies to the foreign guests. He said that Chinas COVID-19 prevention and control policies must be understood from the perspective of its national conditions. China has a population of over 1.4 billion， accounting for 20 percent of the worlds population. That is the countrys basic national condition. The Chinese government is the government of the people， and the Communist Party of China is the party of the people， he said.

The Central Committee of the CPC with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always adhered to the overall requirements of effectively coordinating COVID-19 prevention and control with economic and social development. It has put people and their lives first and respected science. China has adopted proactive policies to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic， taken the most effective measures to protect peoples lives and health to the maximum extent and effectively prevented large-scale virus infections and deaths.

Meanwhile， China has kept pace with the times and adopted more precise and efficient proactive prevention and control policies to minimize the impact of the pandemic on economic and social development.

Lin expressed hope that the European Chamber and its member companies will understand and support Chinas active prevention and control policies from the perspective that the CPC and the Chinese government govern for the people， and send positive messages to European companies in China as a bridge and bond for China-Europe friendly cooperation.

Lin also answered questions about Chinas policies， measures and achieve- ments in Africa. He said Africa is the youngest continent with rich natural and human resources and has a strong desire for development. It has risen and is accelerating its industrialization and urbanization. There are broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between China， Europe and Africa in infrastructure， green， low-carbon and innovative development， as well as the digital economy.

“Helping Africa achieve peace， stability， development and prosperity serves the common interest and is our shared responsibility. China and the EU should work together to strengthen cooperation and help Africa achieve lasting peace and independent， sustainable development，” Lin said.

Wuttke thanked Lin for his kind invitation and introduction of Chinas latest COVID-19 prevention and control policies， and he expressed his admiration for Chinas economic and social development achievements. He said he very much agrees with Lins view that China-EU relations should focus on cooperation and seek common development， adding that the European Chamber and its member companies have confidence in Chinas development and will continue to deepen their engagement in the Chinese market， enhance mutual understanding， tighten cooperative ties and jointly promote world development and prosperity.

Founded in 2000， the European Chamber now has more than 1，800 member companies and seven chapters in nine cities across China.