Cooperation is crucial for the development of the automotive industries in China and the European Union (EU), said Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday.
Wang made the remarks while chairing the China-EU Electric Vehicle (EV) Industrial Chain Enterprises Roundtable, which was attended by leaders from nearly 30 European and Chinese EV, power battery, and parts sectors, as well as related industry associations.
Over the past 40 years, Wang said, automotive cooperation between China and the EU has yielded fruitful results and become deeply integrated.
EU companies have flourished in China, driving the development of China's automotive industrial chain, and China has also provided an open market and a fair competitive environment for European companies.
As for the EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs, Wang said that China will negotiate until the final moments.
Such a move by the EU, Wang noted, will not only hinder China-EU cooperation in the automotive industry and undermine Chinese companies' confidence in investing in Europe, but will also severely affect global cooperation in addressing climate change and significantly damage the multilateral trade order based on WTO rules.
As the automotive industries of China and the EU are now at a critical crossroads, openness and cooperation are the best options, Wang said.
China has developed through reform and opening up and will never stop its opening up, Wang said. He noted the Chinese government firmly supports China-EU business cooperation, opposes "decoupling and breaking chains," and is committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and EU companies operating in China.
Cooperation is key to Chinese, EU auto industries: Chinese commerce minister
Wang Xiuying, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) from Liaoning, on Tuesday highlighted the achievements in the northeastern Chinese province's desertification control efforts over the years.
In an interview with the press ahead of the closing meeting of the third session of the 14th NPC on Tuesday, Wang, also an agronomist of the Agricultural Economic Management Station in Liaoning's Zhangwu County, shared her experiences in sand control in the Horqin sandy land, China's largest sandy area.
"We have explored and implemented a series of integrated management models, using trees, grasses, water projects and photovoltaic projects to stabilize the sand. So far, the Three-North Shelter Forest Program has advanced 13 kilometers into the core area of the Horqin sandy land. The average wind speed has decreased from 3.4 meters per second in the 1950s to 1.9 meters per second now. By doing so, we have effectively prevented the southward expansion of the Horqin sandy land, thus safeguarding the ecological security of Liaoning and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region," said Wang.
In addition to the efforts in desertification control, Wang and her team have also developed new crop varieties with high yields, helping local farmers to achieve greater prosperity.
"With crop rotation and fallow models and photovoltaic projects, we have applied multiple technologies to deliver tangible benefits for local farmers with increased farmland yields. Our team has been responsible for the demonstration area of the country's first corn yield improvement project, where we successfully grew corn with high yields on sandy land, achieving a yield of over 2,000 jin per mu (about 15,000 kg per hectare) for two consecutive years. We have gradually realized the long-awaited dream of transforming sandy land into fertile farmland," she said.
Since being an NPC deputy in 2023, She has submitted proposals on sand control and ecological protection.
"After conducting thorough research, I submitted a proposal on implementing pilot photovoltaic projects for sand control and ecological restoration, which was subsequently adopted by the relevant authorities. We have planned a provincial-level demonstration area for systematic management along the southern edge of the Horqin sandy land, and two demonstration zones focused on comprehensive management: one for the integrated management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, and another for the treatment of sandy land along the Liuhe River. Through these efforts, we have gradually achieved the governance objectives of conserving water, combating desertification, preserving fertile land, and safeguarding the ecosystem," said Wang.
Lawmaker highlights achievements in Liaoning's anti-desertification drive
