GASME News

GASME Global Chairman Christian Wulff Attended the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

At the invitation of the Chinese Government, Christian Wulff, Global Chairman of GASME and Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany and Frank Cao, Secretary General of GASME attended the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) held in Beijing from April 25th to 27th , 2019.

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is the highest-level platform for international cooperation within the framework of the BRI. This forum is China’s most important home diplomacy event this year. The Chinese top leader welcomed the other 39 distinguished guests, including state/government heads from 37 countries, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the International Monetary Fund, at the foot of the Yanshan Mountain, by the lakeside of the Yanqi Lake. Themed with “Working Together to Deliver a Brighter Future for Belt and Road Cooperation”, the forum consists of a series of activities including 12 thematic forums and the entrepreneurial conference on April 25th ,the the opening ceremony and the high-level meeting on April 26th , the leaders’ roundtable on April 27th. President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the second BRF and delivered a keynote speech.

Mr. Wulff delivered an address at the Thematic Forum on Sub-national Cooperation. Mr. Wulff pointed out that this forum is a great opportunity to prove that international cooperation is good for everyone involved. The final declaration of the recent EU-China Summit is inspiring. It demonstrates that international cooperation mechanism can come up with efficient solutions. We Germans see great opportunities for ports such as Duisburg, the largest inland port in Europe, Hamburg, the third largest seaport in Europe, and Stralsund the gateway to the Baltic Sea. We also hold with the saying of Confucius, “The noble man does not preach what he does until he does what he preaches.” Undoubtedly, infrastructure construction promotes economic opportunities, especially between Europe and China. Germany has long enjoyed successful economic relations with China. Germany and China are economic heavyweights and are both stabilizing factors in Europe and Asia. We are amazed at the rapid pace of growth in China, especially in terms of infrastructure development. And on our side, our family-owned companies, mechanical engineering and dual training are of great strengths. We all face similar challenges. The defense of free world trade and a rule-based multilateral order, issues concerning environmental protection, energy and climate change. All these calls for closer cooperation. We see the opportunities and trust in the Belt and Road Initiative and its radiance and momentum will develop only when everyone can participate.

The BRI has achieved fruitful results since it was proposed six years ago. It has developed into a platform for international cooperation with wide international participation and an international public product with large popularity. The principle of “extensive consultation, joint efforts and shared benefits” has received wide recognition. A batch of projects for promoting connectivity and communication have been successfully implemented, bringing about extensive development opportunities for all participating countries.

At the Forum, GASME signed a cooperation agreement with the China Certification & Inspection (Group) Co., Ltd. and Daguang Tianxia Investment Group to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative Demonstration Base of Countryside Complex (Yunnan) in Yuxi, Yunnan Province. The beautiful natural environment of Fuxian Lake provides a favorable condition for the development of a countryside complex integrating the functions of plateau-featured modern sightseeing agriculture, international conference center, leisure base for public diplomacy, hot spring health-care town and local cultural tourism. GASME will set up GASME World Leader Country Club (Yunnan) in the complex, co-host high-level international forums such as the Belt and Road Eco-agriculture and Food Safety Forum, the International Health Industry Summit, and the China SME Global Development Forum. Domestic and foreign state/government leaders and international business leaders will be invited to attend the forums to enhance the international influence of the countryside complex and promote the confluence of high-quality resources.