Interview: Austrian Chancellor expects his China trip to boost bilateral relations

VIENNA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz hopes that his forthcoming visit to China will provide an important impetus for relations between Austria and China, he told Xinhua in a written interview.

Kurz will pay an official visit to China on April 25-29 and attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) to be held in Beijing during his visit.

Kurz visited Chinese mainland last time in April 2018, four months after he was sworn in as federal chancellor, and the trip was a "great success", according to President Alexander Van der Bellen, who visited China together with Kurz at that time and led a high-ranking Austrian delegation.

Relations between Austria and China have been developing very well over the past year thanks to the 2018 state visit and the establishment of a friendly strategic partnership between the two countries, said Kurz.

High-level political exchanges, economic relations and people-to-people contacts have intensified, with both the volumes of trade and tourism between the two countries increased by more than 8 percent in 2018, he said.

"Last year, our trading volume exceeded 13 billion euros (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) and nearly 1 million Chinese tourists visited Austria," said the chancellor.

The chancellor noted that China and Austria signed a letter of intent for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) last year, and both sides will strengthen infrastructure, innovation and technical cooperation within the BRI framework.

"I understand the BRI as an invitation to share experiences and expertise to capitalize on China's commitment to building connectivity between Asia and Europe, particularly in the infrastructure sector," said Kurz.

For Austria, the expansion of rail infrastructure is of great importance and there have been active discussions on this topic and Austria could exploit its experience and the location advantage in Central Europe, he said.

"From my point of view, it is important that cooperation follows international standards and the principle of transparency and reciprocity, so that cooperation is possible and important contribution to a healthy international economy can be made," said Kurz.

Austria is a country with the highest per-capita share of "hidden champions" (medium-sized companies that have become world market leaders in a niche market) and their Chinese partners have already implemented numerous joint projects, said Kurz.

Austria has considerable expertise in the high-tech sector, especially in fields of environmental technology, water resources, sustainable agriculture and forestry, mechanical engineering and sustainable urban development, and bilateral cooperation in these areas could be further developed, Kurz said.

Kurz also noted that Austria has already started to boost cooperation with China in the run-up to the Winter Olympic Games 2022 in Beijing, with a very good exchange going on between the Olympic committees of both countries and also between the Chinese General Administration of Sport and the Austrian Ski Association.

Austrian coaches are training Chinese winter athletes in the Alps and hoping to help establish a qualified ski coaching system for China, he added.

The chancellor also sees opportunities for the two nations to work together in multilateral area, as China has been committed to rule-based trade system, with which Austria is also particularly concerned.

Reciprocity and opening-up in the field of investment are part of an effective and fair trading system, so the recent changes in investment law in China are a step on the right direction, Kurz said.

When asked about what roles Chinese companies can play in Austria's 5G construction, the chancellor responded that 5G expansion is a special part in his government's digitalisation program, where international cooperation is of immense importance, and standards, including security standards, must be met by all cooperation partners.

The chancellor also emphasized that a globalized world includes different cultures and worldviews.

"Intercultural dialogue is an integral part of Austrian foreign policy and a traditional instrument for increasing mutual understanding and building trust," he said. "We very much appreciate this dialogue with China."

Austria and China understand each other not only through the connectivity of infrastructure, but also through communication between the two peoples, said Kurz, adding that the BRI's idea of tying Europe and Asia closer together has potential to strengthen cultural relations as well.