China’s Top Legislator Li Zhanshu Talks of Belt and Road in Official Visit to Austria

May 23, 2019 (EIRNS)— China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu, during his official visit from May 18-21 to Austria, met with President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, among others. He promoted bilateral ties and expressed China’s stance on upholding multilateralism and free trade. When meeting with Chancellor Kurz, Li said jointly building the Belt and Road has become a new growth point for bilateral cooperation. The two sides should adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and continuously explore and tap the potential of cooperation, Li said, according to Xinhua.

Li, who is Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), urged the two countries to deepen cooperation in fields such as high-end manufacturing, energy conservation, environmental protection, ecological agriculture, tourism, and finance. Li also said two sides are expected to actively explore innovative cooperation in such areas as the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence and 5G technology.

During his meeting with President Van der Bellen, Li said “maintaining multilateralism and free trade is the common responsibility of the international community. Unilateralism and trade protectionism are not in line with the world trend,” and that unilateral withdrawal and unilateral sanctions will not only harm other countries, but also harm the interests of the countries which take the moves, wrote Xinhua in its May 21 coverage.