On October 18, Minister Wang Wentao met with Austrian Labor and Economy Minister Martin Kocher. They had an in-depth exchange of views on China-Austria and China-EU economic and trade relations. Business representatives from the Austrian Economic Chambers, Magna Steyr, and Raiffeisen Bank International also attended the meeting.
Wang Wentao stated that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two sides, China-Austria economic and trade relations maintained positive growth. The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held in July sent a clear message of expanding high-standard opening up and made plans of significant reform measures for the next five years. This will bring new opportunities for businesses from all countries including Austria to develop in China. China’s door will only open wider. It is hoped that Austrian businesses could seize the development opportunities brought by Chinese modernization, continue to explore the Chinese market, and achieve greater development.
Wang Wentao noted that the EU’s anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles seriously hinders China-EU cooperation in the automotive industry and undermines Chinese automakers’ confidence in investing in Europe. China and Austria have a long history of cooperation in automotive and components sectors with a solid foundation and broad prospects. The Chinese side has always engaged with the European side through dialogue and consultations with the utmost sincerity and goodwill. China hoped that Austria could play a constructive role in promoting the European Commission to meet China halfway with a constructive attitude, so as to facilitate consultations, reach a mutually acceptable solution as soon as possible, and safeguard the overall development of China-EU economic and trade relations.
Kocher stated that Austria and China are important trading partners with fruitful results of pragmatic cooperation in various fields. The Austrian government supports free trade and open cooperation and hopes to eliminate trade and investment barriers. It is hoped that the EU and China could resolve the electric vehicle case properly through dialogue and consultations. Austria supports businesses of both countries in deepening cooperation in trade and investment, green transformation, innovative R&D, and winter sports, making positive contributions to world economic recovery and climate change response.