In his speech, Shengchao said: “Over the past 75 years, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have worked hard together, made remarkable development achievements and opened a spectacular chapter of Chinese modernization. China has become the world’s second largest economy, biggest trading and manufacturing nation in goods and strongest growth engine and green development engine in terms of EVs, wind and solar power.

“China has attracted investment from over 1.2 million foreign investors in cumulative terms, and built the biggest high-speed railway network and express highway network on the planet.

“We have, once and for all, resolved the problem of absolute poverty in China, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world, ensuring that the gains of modernization benefit all our people fairly.”

He also spoke of China-Belgium co-operation moving forward: “In 2024, China-Belgium practical co-operation has moved forward steadily. In the first eight months of this year, China-Belgium trade exceeded 23 billion euros. A growing number of high-quality agri-food products have been shipped from Belgian farms to the dining tables of Chinese customers. The Cainiao Liège eHub and Cosco Shipping (Port) Zeebrugge Terminal have continued to serve as important bridges and logistic hubs to link up China with Belgium and Europe at large.  

“In 2024, China-Belgium cultural and people-to-people exchanges have continued to deepen. At the beginning of this month, in the 23rd “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, Benjamin Herman (何杰明) from Ghent University competed with outstanding contestants from 138 countries and proudly won the global championship.

“Since the beginning of this year, China’s visa-free policy for Belgian citizens has been implemented smoothly, and the number of direct passenger flights between our two countries has increased to 17 a week, lending a fresh impetus to stronger mutual understanding between our two peoples.”

And, in conclusion, he wished China-Belgium friendship a promising and prosperous future.

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