薩爾瓦多駐華大使阿爾瓦雷斯：重慶的發展就像正在騰飛的火箭

“Chongqing is China’s future megacity as Chongqing’s development is as fast as a soaring rocket.In my view, the city is leading the development in central and western China.” In recent days, H.E.Aldo Alvarez, Ambassador of El Salvador to China visited Chongqing and was interviewed by the media.“We are very optimistic about Chongqing’s future and look forward to strengthening exchanges and cooperation with Chongqing in various fields, which is also one of the main purposes of this trip.”

“China is the first stop of my diplomatic career, and therefore,China has special significance for me.” Prior to his appointment as ambassador to China, Alvarez was a scholar of international law and international relations, and during his tenure as a university professor for more than a decade, he followed the development of Asia and China, which laid the foundation for his appointment.

With the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of El Salvador, Alvarez’s “wish” finally came true,and serving as the ambassador to China brought him a unique and extraordinary experience.“I’ve always wanted to come to China because everything here is full of vitality.We are close friends and great partners.And I believe China-El Salvador relations will become stronger, closer,more confident, and more integrated over time.”

“重慶是中國新特大城市的未來，重慶的發展就像正在騰飛的火箭。在我看來，這座城市正在引領中國中西部的發展。”2月1日至3日，薩爾瓦多駐華大使阿爾多·阿爾瓦雷斯來渝訪問，并接受媒體采訪，“我們非常看好重慶未來的發展前景，期待與重慶加強各領域交流合作，這也是此行的主要目的之一。”

“中國是我外交生涯的第一站，對我而言，中國有特別的意義。”出任駐華大使前，阿爾瓦雷斯是一位國際法和國際關系領域的學者，在過去十幾年任職大學教授期間，他一直關注著亞洲與中國的發展變化，這也為他出任駐華大使奠定了基礎。

薩爾瓦多駐華大使阿爾瓦雷斯接受媒體采訪。

阿爾瓦雷斯寫給重慶市民的祝福：祝愿在美麗重慶的朋友們萬事如意！

隨著中薩建交，阿爾瓦雷斯的“心愿”得以實現，擔任駐華大使給他帶來一種獨特和非凡的經歷。“我一直很想到中國來，這里的一切都充滿生機活力。我們是緊密的伙伴，相信薩中關系會隨著時間推移變得更強，變得更親密，更自信，更融合。”

Good Momentum Shown in Economic and Trade Exchanges Between Chongqing and El Salvador

In 2022, the trade volume of Chongqing with El Salvador reached RMB349 million, a year-on-year increase of 45.5%.“I am very surprised and pleased at the recent growth in our trade, especially since it has continued to grow last year despite all the complicated circumstances.The good momentum of economic and trade exchanges between El Salvador and Chongqing makes me more confident about this year.” “I think Chongqing and El Salvador share infinite possibilities of cooperation.We will strengthen the ties and cooperation with Chongqing in various fields, such as intelligent manufacturing,trade and investment, cultural and academic exchanges, tourism and so on.This will mark the beginning of the comprehensive cooperation between people of the two places.”

El Salvador is one of the most efficient producers of coffee in the world with the El Salvadoran coffee renowned for its brilliant flavor.Coffee is one of El Salvador’s main agricultural exports.“During this trip, we had discussions and exchanges with coffee enterprises in Chongqing and reached a consensus on cooperation.We look forward to seeing more EI Salvadoran coffee exported to Chongqing and enjoyed by Chongqing citizens.In the future, we will produce and export more diversified products to China.”

Further Promoting People-to-People Exchanges and Mutual Learning of Tourism

“This is my second visit to Chongqing.The up-and-down terrain of this city reminds me of my own country.” Alvarez also expressed his love for Chongqing cuisine.“I love spicy food and have tasted Chongqing food while working in other cities such as Beijing.This time I had a chance to taste the local Chongqing beer, which is amazing and as high-quality as that of famous European brands.I highly recommend it.”

During their stay in Chongqing, Alvarez and his colleagues visited the Residence of Zhou Enlai, Guiyuan and old lanes of Chongqing,which left a deep impression on him.“It was an extraordinary historical journey.I knew the story of Zhou Enlai and what he contributed to the New China before, so when I saw the photos, the rooms and the furniture, it was like witnessing the history.”

Known as the Land of Volcanoes and located in northern Central America, El Salvador has beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate,making it a paradise for eco-tourists.“El Salvador is not familiar to some people, so one of my tasks is to promote it.”

On October 23, 2022, the visa waiver agreement between China and El Salvador came into effect, temporarily for diplomatic and government personnel of the two countries.Alvarez said that in order to promote the development of tourism, the two countries are also negotiating a visa-free agreement for general public, which will further boost people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning in tourism.

Source: Chongqing Foreign Affairs Official WeChat Account

“薩爾瓦多與重慶經貿往來勢頭良好”

2022年，重慶與薩爾瓦多進出口額達3.49億元，同比增長45.5%。“對于我們最近的貿易增長，感到非常驚訝和欣喜，尤其是去年在各種復雜情況下，它仍然持續增長，薩爾瓦多與重慶經貿往來勢頭良好，讓我對今年更加充滿信心。”

阿爾瓦雷斯認為，重慶現在的發展速度相當快，經濟增長勢頭良好。特別是工業技術方面，例如，汽車、摩托車、電子產品等領域發展勢頭向好。“我認為重慶和薩爾瓦多合作的可能性是無限的，我們將加強與重慶各領域的聯系合作，比如，智能智造、貿易投資、文化和學術交流、旅游等各個方面，這將是兩地人民之間全面合作的開始。”

薩爾瓦多是世界上最高效的咖啡生產國之一，舉世聞名的薩爾瓦多咖啡風味極佳，咖啡也成為薩爾瓦多主要出口的大宗農產品之一。“此行我們與重慶的咖啡企業進行了座談交流，達成合作共識。期待看到更多的薩爾瓦多咖啡出口到重慶，希望重慶市民喜歡來自薩爾瓦多的風味，未來我們將生產和出口種類更加多樣化的產品到中國。”

“將進一步促進雙方人文交流和旅游互鑒”

“這是我第二次訪問重慶，這座城市讓我想起了自己的國家，這里起起伏伏的地形與薩爾瓦多非常相似。”阿爾瓦雷斯同時表達了對重慶美食的喜愛。“我很愛吃辣，在北京等城市工作時，曾品嘗過重慶菜。這次有機會品嘗了重慶本地啤酒，非常好喝、品質很高，完全不輸任何歐洲品牌啤酒，我非常推薦它。”

在渝期間，阿爾瓦雷斯一行參觀了周公館、桂園，游覽山城巷，給他留下深刻印象。“這是一次非凡的歷史之旅，因為我知道周恩來的故事，也了解他是如何為新中國作出貢獻的，所以當看到那些照片、房間和家具的時候，就像見證了活的歷史。”

以“火山之國”著稱的薩爾瓦多位于中美洲北部，風景優美，氣候宜人，是生態旅行者的天堂。“一些人對薩爾瓦多這個國家還不是特別了解，推介它也是我的任務之一。”

2022年10月23日，中國和薩爾瓦多互免簽證協定正式生效，暫時適用于兩國的外交人員和政府人員。阿爾瓦雷斯介紹，為促進旅游業發展，針對普通民眾的中薩互免簽證協定也正在談判中，這將進一步促進雙方人文交流和旅游互鑒。