重庆和安特卫普，纪念结好十周年

贺煜 唐安冰

The 10th Anniversary of Establishing Sister Relationship Between Chongqing and Antwerp

By He Yu/ The World and Chongqing   Photos by Tang Anbing/ The World and Chongqing

In October 2011， Chongqing Municipality of China and Antwerp Province of Belgium signed the Agreement on the Establishment of Sister Relationship. In the same year， the POM Antwerp set up its representative office in Chongqing to promote cooperation between two places.

Over the past decade， two sides have witnessed multiple high-level mutual visits， continuous economic and trade exchanges， active matchmaking between businesses and vibrant people-to-people exchanges， making the foundation of friendship increasingly solid.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of sister relationship between Chongqing Municipality and Antwerp Province， two places held an online meeting celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of sister relationship and promoting further economic， trade and people-to-people exchanges on December 22nd， 2021， to review the achievements of cooperation between two places in the past and jointly open a new chapter of friendly exchanges and cooperation. Wang Wen， Director-General of Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal Peoples Government， Ludwig Caluwe， Chairman of POM Antwerp， and Pierre de Strycker， Managing Director of POM Antwerp， attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Li Mingquan， Deputy Director-General of Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal Peoples Government， hosted the event.

“Since the establishment of sister relationship between Chongqing and Antwerp， there have been frequent mutual visits， more in-depth pragmatic cooperation and increasingly strong friendship. Antwerp has become one of Chongqings sister cities in Europe which has the most frequent exchanges with Chongqing.” Wang Wen said that Chongqing looks forward to further deepening pragmatic cooperation in various fields based on the existing solid foundation. It was proposed that two places continue to strengthen economic and trade cooperation， extend the scope and depth of exchanges， and deepen people-to-people exchanges， to embark on a brighter journey of next 10 years hand in hand.

“I have visited Chongqing for multiple times and also received delegations from Chongqing. We felt the enthusiasm of Chongqing and saw the development potentials of cooperation between Antwerp and Chongqing in these interactions.” Ludwig Caluwe， Chairman of POM Antwerp， said that in the past decade， Antwerp and Chongqing have tapped a lot of potentials for cooperation in education， logistics， science， management， business and other aspects， and the cooperation agreement between two sides has been progressing smoothly. In the future， the POM Antwerp will establish better communication platforms for businesses from two sides， create bridges for connection， making the cooperation between two sides closer and extending to a wider scope.

“Eating hot pot should be the first thing I want to do in Chongqing. Besides， I am particularly interested in learning about the rapid economic and social growth in Chongqing.” Pierre de Strycker， the Managing Director of POM Antwerp， said that he hoped that after the pandemic， he could have face-to-face exchanges with Chongqing， as well as learning more about Chongqings internationalization path， the potential opportunities for Antwerp enterprises to develop in Chongqing， and the future direction of cooperation between two sides.

In the process of establishing and deepening the sister relationship between Chongqing and Antwerp， Luc Broos， the former Managing Director of POM Antwerp， contributed a lot. Broos has visited Chongqing more than ten times and made outstanding contributions to promoting the establishment of sister relationship and exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

At the event， Wang Wen， on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal Peoples Government， presented the “Certificate of Friendship Envoy of Chongqing” to Broos， and Zeng Su， Chief Representative of POM Antwerp in China， received the certificate in Chongqing on behalf of Broos.

“For more than ten years， Chongqing has given me very precious memories.” Speaking of Chongqing， Broos recalled with deep emotions： We had a lot of mutual visits， interactions and cooperation in various fields. I was deeply impressed by Chongqings unique buildings， beautiful natural scenery， profound cultural heritage and outstanding advantages of smart manufacturing. Every time I go to Chongqing， I feel very warm. After ten years of hard work， at least half of Antwerp enterprises know Chongqing and hope to cooperate with Chongqing. I am glad to see that the two places have laid a very solid foundation for cooperation. I hope that the POM Antwerp will continue to deepen the relationship between two places.

At the meeting， the Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal Government and the POM Antwerp signed the Letter of Intent for Further Deepening Cooperation Between Chongqing and Antwerp， so as to continue the friendship between two places and deepen cooperation in various fields.

During the exchange session， representatives from Chongqing University， Antwerp University， Chongqing Bureau of Ecology and Environment， Cleantech Flanders， Liangjiang New Area Free Trade Office （Liangjiang New Area Administration Office of China-Singapore （Chongqing） Connectivity Initiative） and Antwerp Science Park discussed the progress and future plans of university cooperation， environmental protection cooperation， industrial parks and intention to jointly look into the future direction and path of cooperation and lay a sound foundation for further cooperation.

Ten-Year Friendship， Growing Stronger

Over the past decade， two sides have witnessed multiple high-level mutual visits， continuous economic and trade exchanges and vibrant people-to-people exchanges.

Antwerp has participated in the Smart China Expo for four consecutive years and has participated in many important international exhibitions in Chongqing， such as the Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade. Chongqing has also sent delegations many times to participate in international exchange activities such as the Antwerp Forum and the Industry Matchmaking Meeting hosted by Antwerp， making full use of the high-quality platform resources of both sides to consult extensively and promote cooperation. Enterprises from two places actively matchmake in industries including environmental protection， high-end services， automation， medical equipment and technology， light industry manufacturing， food trade and cross-border e-commerce. Two sides have cooperated closely in China-Europe Railway Express （Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway） in terms of goods distribution， arrangement of shipment and promotion.

Universities from two places have carried out exchanges in logistics， rehabilitation， management and other disciplines， organized joint talent programs and mutual visits of students.

After the onset of COVID-19， Chongqing and Antwerp extended sympathy and support to each other. The Chongqing Municipal Peoples Government also donated medical surgical masks to the Antwerp government to jointly respond to challenges.

2011年10月，中國重庆市和比利时安特卫普省签署建立友好城市关系协议。同年，安特卫普省经济发展局在渝成立代表处，专门致力于推动两地合作。

十年来，两市省高层多次互访、经贸互动不断、企业对接积极、人文交流活跃……友谊之基愈加坚实。

重庆市与安特卫普省建立友城关系十周年之际，2021年12月22日，两地在线上举行了建立友城关系十周年纪念暨经贸人文合作交流会，共同回顾两地过往合作成果，携手开启友好交流合作新篇章。重庆市政府外办主任王雯，安特卫普省经济发展局主席凯乐为、局长史赛克出席会议并致辞。市政府外办副主任李明全主持活动。

“重庆与安特卫普建立友城关系以来，人员往来频繁，务实合作持续深化，友好情谊与日俱增，安特卫普已成为重庆在欧洲交往最频繁的友城之一。”王雯表示，未来，重庆愿在已有良好合作基础上，进一步深化各领域务实合作。建议两地继续加强经贸合作、不断拓展交流层级、持续深化人文交流，携手走过下一个更加精彩的十年。

“我曾多次到访重庆，也接待过重庆的代表团。交往中，我们感受到了重庆的热情，看到了安特卫普与重庆合作的发展潜能。”安特卫普省经济发展局主席凯乐为表示，过去十年，安特卫普与重庆在教育、物流、科学、管理、商业等各个方面，都挖掘了非常多的合作潜力，双方的合作协议进展顺利。未来，安特卫普省经济发展局将为两地企业建立更好的沟通平台，为其搭建沟通的桥梁，让双方的合作更加紧密，延伸至更广领域。

“吃火锅应该是我到重庆要做的第一件事，除此之外，我也特别有兴趣了解重庆经济社会快速增长情况。”安特卫普省经济发展局新任局长史赛克说，希望疫情结束后，能与重庆方进行面对面的交流，更多地了解重庆的国际化道路，了解安特卫普企业在重庆发展的潜在机会，以及双方未来的合作方向。

在重庆与安特卫普建立深化友城关系过程中，安特卫普省经济发展局前任局长吕克·布罗斯功不可没。布罗斯曾十余次访渝，为推动两地建立友城关系和各领域交流与合作作出杰出贡献。

活动现场，王雯代表重庆市政府外办向布罗斯颁发了“重庆友好使者证书”，安特卫普省经济发展局驻中国首席代表曾甦在重庆现场为其代领。

“十多年来，重庆给我留下了十分珍贵的回忆。”谈到重庆，布罗斯深情地回忆道：我们有很多互访，在各领域进行互动，开展合作。重庆独具特色的建筑，优美的自然风光，深厚的人文底蕴，突出的智能制造优势等都给我留下了非常深刻的印象。每次到重庆，都感觉很温暖。经过十年的耕耘，至少有一半的安特卫普企业都知道重庆，并且希望与重庆开展合作。我很高兴看到两地已经打下了十分坚实的合作基础。希望安特卫普省经济发展局能继续深化两地关系。

会上，市政府外办还与安特卫普省经济发展局共同签署了《重庆市与安特卫普省进一步深化合作意向书》，延续两地友谊，深化各领域合作。

交流环节，来自重庆大学、安特卫普大学、重庆市生态环境局、法兰德斯清洁技术协会、两江新区自贸办（中新办）、安特卫普科技园的相关代表，分别就高校合作进展情况和未来计划、环保合作进展情况和未来计划、园区情况及合作意向等内容进行了互动交流，共同展望谋划未来合作方向和路径，为下一步合作奠定良好基础。

十年友谊历久弥新

十年来，两地高层多次互访，经贸互动不断，人文交流活跃。

安特卫普连续四年参加智博会，多次参加西洽会等重庆重要国际会展活动，重庆也多次组团派员参加安特卫普主办的安特卫普论坛、产业对接会等国际交流活动，充分利用双方优质平台资源共商共促合作。两地企业积极对接，产业涵盖环保、高端服务业、自动化、医疗设备和技术、轻工制造、食品贸易和跨境电商等多类别。双方在中欧班列（渝新欧）货物分拨、货源组织和推广方面合作密切。

两地高校在物流、康复、管理等学科上开展交流，联合培养人才、组织学生经常性互访。

新冠肺炎疫情暴发后，重庆与安特卫普互致慰问表达支持。重庆市政府还向安特卫普省政府捐赠了一批医用外科口罩，共克时艰。