Lan Tianli (R), chairman of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, meets with Friedrich Stift, the Austrian ambassador to China. [Photo by Liang Kaichang/gov.cn]

Friedrich Stift, the Austrian ambassador to China, led a delegation of representatives from Austrian companies in China on a tour of cities such as Nanning, Liuzhou and Fangchenggang in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region between the end of March and April 4.

Business talks were carried out during the delegation's visits, in areas spanning automobiles, steel and aluminum. With the year 2021 marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Austria and China, the two sides are seeking increased cooperation. 

Lan Tianli, chairman of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, gave a brief overview of Guangxi's socio-economic development while meeting with Stift on March 30 in Nanning. 

Guangxi is the only region of its kind in China to border ASEAN countries both by land and sea and has been achieving remarkable outcomes in terms of high-level opening-up and high-quality development. The China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), an important platform for communication and cooperation between China and ASEAN, has been held 17 times.

Lan expressed his hope that the ambassador's visit can serve as an opportunity for the promotion of CAEXPO, allowing companies from both Guangxi and Austria to conduct more exchanges and work together more.

Lan said that Guangxi is willing to deepen cooperation with Austria in areas such as commerce, trade, the establishment of sister city relations and education, and added that the region is looking forward to including more Austrian companies in the joint construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Stift praised Guangxi's efforts in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control as well as poverty alleviation. He said that China is currently the world's only major economy with positive economic growth and he hopes to achieve mutual development through further cooperation.

He added that cooperation opportunities between the two sides are abundant, as Austria has advanced products and technologies in sectors such as environmental protection andenergy.

Zhang Zhuang, mayor of Liuzhou, said during his meeting with the Austrian delegation that Liuzhou has a solid foundation in developing industries and has formed an industrial system featuring three pillars, namely automobiles, steel and machinery, plus other supporting industries including the chemical industry, sugar refining, papermaking, pharmacy, building materials and daily chemical.

Friedrich Stift (L), the Austrian ambassador to China, accepts a gift from Zhang Zhuang, mayor of Liuzhou. [Photo by Lin Xin/chinanews.com]

Liuzhou's total industrial economic value accounts for more than a quarter of Guangxi's total figure. The city is now promoting the high-quality development of industries and the establishment of a modern manufacturing city.

Zhang expressed his hope that both sides can fully utilize the advantages of Liuzhou's unique geographic location and valuable platforms in China-ASEAN cooperation, as well as Austria's advantages in capital, technology, markets and talent, to make joint efforts in exploring markets in areas such as ASEAN.