On March 14, 2022, Chinese Ambassador to Ecuador Mr. Chen Guoyou published on Telegraph, mainstream newspaper of Ecuador a signed article entitled “China’s Two Sessions Sent Positive Signals to the World” to introduce the major outcomes of the “Two Sessions”. The full article runs as follows:
Recently, the 5th Session of the 13th CPPCC and the 5th Session of the 13th NPC were held in Beijing. As important meetings in the political life of China, the “Two Sessions” have sent to the world a series of positive signals.
First, steady growth. The GDP growth target set for this year is around 5.5%, a medium to high growth rate built on a large base. In 2021, China’s economic aggregate surpassed 114 trillion RMB yuan. A 5.5% growth on top of this would amount to the equivalent of a top 20 economy. With changes unseen in a century combined with the pandemic, setting such a growth target will help boost the confidence of all parties amid global uncertainties.
Second, expanded consumption. The government work report this year put forward the goal of “promoting sustained recovery of consumption” and laid out specific measures, which included promoting recovery of life-related services, stabilizing the consumption of large-sum items such as new energy cars or green and smart home appliances, developing consumptions in urban community and townships and towns, and improving the quality of products and services. An ever expanding consumer market will let countries around the world better share the opportunities brought about by China’s development.
Third, environmental protection. China continues improving the ecological environment and promoting green and low-carbon development. At the Beijing Olympics Winter Games, 26 sports venues of the 3 fields of play realized 100% green power supply. The percentage of clean energy reached 25.5% of the energy mix. In 2021, the production of new energy cars exceeded 3.5 million units, an increase of 1.6 times. The budget report this year pointed out that 30 billion RMB yuan will be earmarked from the central finance to address air pollution, an increase of 2.5 billion RMB yuan. 23.7 billion RMB yuan will go to the prevention and treatment of water pollution, an increase of 2 billion RMB yuan. A special fund of 17 billion RMB yuan will be devoted to ecological protection and treatment, an increase of 42.9%. All these data show that China is committed to high-quality development with priority on the ecology and making contribution to the global environmental protection cause.
Not long ago, President Lasso of Ecuador paid a successful formal visit to China and attended the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. As President Lasso said, the visit had brought Ecuador-China relations to a historic high. The positive signals sent by the “Two Sessions” will create more favorable conditions for deepening friendship and practical cooperation between the two countries.
First, consensus will be built through strategic alignment. During the visit of President Lasso, the two sides released a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Ecuador, in which the two sides agreed to further promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and promote the strategic alignment between the Global Development Initiative and the national strategies of Ecuador.
Second, economic cooperation will embrace new opportunities. Chinese statistics show that in 2021 the trade volume between China and Ecuador reached US$ 11 billion, an increase of 40% YoY. Taking the opportunities of the initiation of negotiations on the China-Ecuador FTA and the implementation of the health protocols on importing fire-dragon fruits from Ecuador and exporting fresh pears to Ecuador, bilateral trade is sure to register sustained, steady and diversified growth. The Chinese consumer market with a huge potential will surely provide more opportunities for export-oriented businessmen in Ecuador.
Second, growth will be boosted through green development. Both governments of China and Ecuador attach great importance to climate change, bio diversity, and marine protection with the aim of realizing sustainable development. The two sides will strengthen mutual learning on environmental protection, deepen investment cooperation on a variety of areas such as green development, and build new growth pillars such as the green Silk Road.
I believe that with the opportunities brought about by the “Two Sessions”, under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two countries, the relationship between China and Ecuador will register steady progress in the new development stage and inject new vigor for more robust, green, and healthy global development.
