Book Release Conference Record - A Review of the Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (2012-2020)
Book Release Conference Record - A Review of the Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (2012-2020)
Ambassador Huo Yuzhen:
Your Excellency, Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang, distinguished guests, good morning.
At the end of the year 2020, Secretariat of China-CEEC Cooperation and China-CEEC Think Tanks Network are co-hosting this book-launch here for A review of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (2012-2020). First of all, on behalf of our team, please allow me to convey to you the warmest welcome and sincere gratitude for your presence.
Over the past year, despite COVID-19, with the support of the secretariat and with consistent efforts, the China-CEEC Think Tanks' Network finally completed this book. It’s not only a review based on a systematic and comprehensive research of China-CEEC cooperation, but also a new achievement of cooperation between our think tanks.
Now I will give the floor to Professor Wu Baiyi, Director General of the Institution of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and he will give us a briefing of this book.
Prof. Wu Baiyi, Director General of the Institution of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences:
Your Honorable Vice Minister Qin Gang, all the envoys of the CEE countries, distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
It is my great privilege to introduce the main content of this book after the brief remarks of my senior colleague, Ambassador Huo Yuzhen.
Actually, the original purpose of writing and publishing the book is to make a response to the curiosities, concerns and questions from entrepreneurs, policy makers, as well as intellectual colleagues from all countries including China.
And it is a spectacular event since we just made an ever-first effort to aim at these specific, innovative programs of collaborations between China and CEE countries.
So, the major achievements were included and we made a systematic reflections and reviews of all the events and major contents, as well as the fruits and products that benefit both parties over the past eight years.
We created a framework of 16+1 and later on 17+1, so we made a multi-level analysis aiming at different participants or actors from sub-regional countries as well as specific participating enterprises.
And also, we made a detailed assessment on the collaboration between China and one particular or the other partner countries.
In this way that we made a leading role of a systematic review of the innovative framework between China and CEE countries and also, we made a brief forecast on the scenario of future development of the collaboration.
The time is limited so I don’t have too much time to elaborate. But I have to address one issue that we originally planned to publish it both in Chinese and different or respective languages of CEE countries in the spring of this year. But due to pandemic effect, we have to delay and overcome a lot of difficulties in editing and publishing. And hopefully, in this way we can create some warm atmosphere in this cold winter. Hopefully we can promote the cooperation between Chinese academic world and our counterparts in your countries. Thank you very much.
Ambassador Huo Yuzhen:
Now let us give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Qin Gang, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary General of the China-CEEC Cooperation Secretariat .
Mr. Qin Gang, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary General of the China-CEEC Cooperation Secretariat:
Ambassadors, distinguished guests, good morning.
It’s my great pleasure to attend this book launch of A review of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries(2012-2020). Over the past 8 years, the China-CEEC cooperation has followed the principle of the extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits. We have focused on the practical cooperation, further improved our institutional building, and made good progress in cooperation of various fields. This cooperation has become a successful pilot in developing a relationship featuring mutual respect, win-win cooperation and equality among countries of different sizes, systems and development stages.
This book has walked us through China-CEEC cooperation over the past 8 years, taken stock of experience and planned for future development. It is highly relevant. Over the past years, the China-CEEC Think Tanks Network has made a lot of efforts for compiling this book. Particularly it has overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19. And finally, this book was published as the year 2020 is about to draw to an end. So, on this occasion, on behalf of the secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, let me express my sincere gratitude to all the experts who have participated in the compilation of this book, particularly Director Wu Baiyi, and warm congratulations for the launch of this book.
Think tank and academic exchange has been an integral part of China-CEEC cooperation and has grown together with this cooperation. In December 2013, the first high-level symposium of think tanks in China and CEE countries was held in Beijing, taking off our regular exchanges and cooperation between think tanks. In December 2015, during the third symposium, the China-CEEC Think Tanks Network was launched, becoming an institutional platform for exchanges between our think tanks. Since then, such exchanges have come into the most vibrant period. According to incomplete data, as many as 40 research institutes on Central and Eastern Europe or regional countries have set up in China.
This year, despite COVID-19, China and CEE countries have maintained the exchanges and dialogues between our think tanks. Thanks to the joint effort of China-CEEC Think Tanks Network and research institutes in China and CEE countries, three online symposiums on China-CEEC cooperation amid COVID-19 were held. Scholars freely exchanged their views on our joint epidemic response and business reopening, contributing their insights on China-CEEC cooperation.
Last week, together with some of the ambassadors and diplomatic envoys of CEE countries, I paid a visit to Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, during which we attended an exhibition of China-CEEC publishing in 2020. Among the over 200 books exhibited, there are many high quality researches. The book launched today is yet another important achievement in our academic exchanges which is truly inspiring.
Your excellencies, distinguished guests, I believe that think tanks and academic exchanges between us will become even more vibrant and continue to provide valuable intellectual support for China-CEEC Cooperation and contribute to our mutual understanding. We hope that research institutes and embassies of CEE countries continue to support them and take an active part in them.
Last but not least, in China, we have two expressions which means that “we need to be open to different views” and “the more you read, the more you will learn”. Like many of you here today, we can't wait to read this book.
Let us work together in a spirit of kindness and pursue development and prosperity, so that China-CEEC Cooperation can deliver more benefits to our people.
Thank you.
Ambassador Huo Yuzhen:
Thank you, Mr. Vice Minister. Now I will give the floor to his excellency Mr. Grigor Porozhanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Mr. Grigor Porozhanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria:
Good morning, dear Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary General of the Secretariat for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, Mr. Qin Gang, dear Director of the Institute of European studies in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Mr. Wu, Excellencies Fellow Ambassadors from the countries of our region, dear colleague Mr. Wang Lutong , the Director General from the Department of European Affairs, ladies and gentlemen.
I was invited today to say a few words for this ceremony of launching a new book dedicated to the initiative. That brings us to today together again, and this is a survey called Review of the Cooperation Between China and the Central and Eastern European countries. This review was prepared by Chinese researchers and diplomats with a collective effort from the leading think tank, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The book consists of three parts and aims at comprising and analyzing the development of the initiative in eight years’ period, while also including individual country reports. The scientific approach includes an attempt of a sectorial overview of the consolidated framework of the initiative as well as a robust analysis of the specific processes of cooperation by the methodologies of international relations, diplomacy, and political science .
Indeed, the present year of 2020 is nothing less but a milestone in the chronology of the early launch initiative for cooperation between Central and Eastern European countries and China. And I believe we will agree on that presumption, thus, turning it in most appropriate momentum for a recapitulation for an overhaul of the levels achieved and of setting the next schedule of target points.
The year 2020 brought us face-to-face with the unprecedented in modern age pandemic of coronavirus. The Covid-19 response showcased strong sense of solidarity where during the first phase of the spread in China, member countries of the initiative like Poland, Czech Republic and others didn't lose time to offer help. Later many Chinese central institutions like National Health Commission, General Administration Systems and many others, supported the country in need. Moreover, the transportation routes proved to be efficient, both for commercial and health purposes, as did China-Europe Rail Freight Trains.
The crisis on the other hand revealed the increased level of interdependence as a consequence of the globalized business. This conclusion impose new starting point for next level discussions on economic and investment cooperation in the initiative.
The figures cited in the review are informative and detailed, fully illustrating the rich connotations of China-CEEC cooperation. There's a constant trend of growth which proves the very positive tendency and potential of the market's interconnectivity.
The future progress of the initiative will rely on the activity and interest of our businesses in the post-pandemic reality and this determines our task to ensure the most advantageous climate for trade and investment activities. As we have worked for and witnessed the spreading of cooperation in various fields of economic and financial services, it is about time to involve in a practical manner, regulatory institutions to facilitate administrative procedures.
Chinese economy could act as an accelerator in Post-Covid recovery. But speed of response to business needs is going to be the decisive factor in near future. The flexible and practical approach of China's politics highlighted by the review should also be extended to the economic cooperation with the same aspirations for development that all our countries share.
The chapter on regional dimension accentuates the bilateral cooperation as the most fundamental and key part of the initiative. It implicates that cooperation mechanism as those already advanced in the framework of the format will certainly expand in future, thus, providing some reflections on the multidimensional nature of the initiative as multilateral cooperation.
At this point, allow me to single out the agriculture as an example of the earliest and well-established sectorial formats where the association for promotion of agricultural cooperation hosted in Bulgaria, my country, is not only undertaking proactive role in the overall dialogue with all parties, but also project implementation focused on business and university communication.
Indeed, it takes time and processing for any idea to evolve into an operative construct and the years from 2012 were good enough for the format to become more mature, my special note with positive charge in this regard goes to the paradigm of people to people exchanges, decentralized cooperation on regional and local levels and the Business Chambers’ dialogue.
This triangle often compensates the hesitation of other factors to ensure the smooth flow of commodities and services to actually boost the development of the initiative, but we should not forget that it is our duty to favor and support both our social and economic development.
Staying on the edge of the final countdown of 2020 and looking back to this eight-year period of time, let's say the initiative did also attract quite a lot of attention. And I find the interest of many research centers on the initiative. Good news. I would like it. Hope the present review will provide groundwork for further in-depth discussions of academic argumentations, and call for more reactions toward clarification of healthy ideas and guidelines.
Thank you for your kind attention and let me wish China-CEEC Cooperation grow stronger.
Ambassador Huo Yuzhen:
Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. Now let me invite Vice Minister Qin, Director Wu and your excellencies up front, please, let's take a group photo and congratulate the launch of this review with champagne.
A review of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries(2012-2020)