Brussels, December 14 The small border city of Terespole, a small Polish border town with a population of less than 6,000, is the first stop for China-EU trains to enter the European Union. Ten to 20 China-EU trains pass by every day.
With the positional advantage of the EU portal, Terespoel has benefited a lot from the development of the u2018 Belt and Road u2019 and the China-Europe train,” Mayor Yatzek Daneruk told Xinhua News Agency.
During the epidemic this year, China-EU trains have achieved counter-trend growth in traffic with the unique advantages of segmental transportation and non-personnel quarantine.
According to the data of China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., as of November 5, China-EU trains had more than 10,000 trains this year, reaching 10,180 trains, and transporting 927,000 containers, an increase of 54% year-on-year to 21 European countries.
The China-Europe train is listed as sending batches of epidemic prevention materials from European people, opening up the “life transportation line” at the most critical time of the epidemic. The China-EU train also provides logistical convenience for European enterprises to increase their exports to China, and builds a “people’s livelihood bridge” between China, which is the first to achieve major strategic achievements in the fight against the epidemic, and Europe, which is looking forward to recovery. Daneruk said that the opening of a record-breaking China-EU train is also expected to bring more investment to the region along the route, and looks forward to further deepening cooperation with China in 2021.
Liège Airport is the airport with the largest cargo throughput in Belgium. During the worst period of the epidemic in Europe, it was once one of the most important hubs for the transfer of anti-epidemic materials. Affected by the epidemic, many physical stores in Europe have been forced to close down, while Chinese e-commerce has opened a new window for European consumers. Not long ago, during the “Double Eleven” period, Liège Airport presented a busy scene again. “The rapid growth of e-commerce benefits not only aviation but other industries; not only for China, but also for the world,” said Luke Pardon, CEO of Liège Airport, in an interview with the Belgian media.
In the face of the epidemic, China and European countries respect science and share experience, and establish a good demonstration effect of “things are man-made” for the world.
Facing the common challenges of economic recovery, China has shown its sincerity in cooperation as always.
According to EU statistics, during the epidemic, the volume of China-EU trade did not fall, but rose. In the first seven months of this year, the total imports and exports of 27 EU member states and China were 3287 billion euros, an increase of about 2.6% year-on-year.
China surpassed the United States to become the EU’s largest trading partner for the first time and has remained unchanged.
Cui Hongjian, director of the European Research Institute of the China Academy of International Studies, said in a telephone interview with Xinhua News Agency that an important reason for the current achievements in China-EU cooperation is that the two sides pay attention to pragmatic cooperation and better manage differences.
At present, China and the EU especially need to maintain their original aspiration, emphasize pragmatic cooperation, resist external interference, enhance political mutual trust, move opposite each other in bilateral negotiations, and strive to make breakthroughs in new areas of cooperation such as green economy and digital economy.
On December 10, Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, said at the 2020 China-EU year-end dialogue co-sponsored by the China Chamber of Commerce and the European Trade Association, saying that China-EU economic and trade cooperation, which has been tested by the epidemic, is ushering in new opportunities.
The European Union has launched a historic economic recovery plan that will accelerate the green and digital transformation of Europe’s economy in the post-pandemic era. And China’s extraordinary efforts to control the epidemic and restore the economy are expected to make China’s economy grow positively this year, and bring hope and momentum to the global economic recovery.
