On June 19, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Slovakian President Ivan Gasparovic attended a breakfast meeting for entrepreneurs in Bratislava.
President Hu said in his address at the breakfast meeting that 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Slovakia. Over the past 60 years, China-Slovakia relations have withstood various tests. Especially after Slovakia's independence, bilateral relations grew rapidly, with economic and trade cooperation constantly expanded. Slovakia has become an important economic and trade partner of China in Central and Eastern Europe.
President Hu pointed out that the current international financial crisis continues to deepen and spread, the prospects of world economy are grim, and promoting the recovery of world economy is an important task for all countries. In the face of this rarely seen international financial crisis, countries should strengthen confidence and cooperation and work together to overcome the current hard times. Hu put forward the following proposals on strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
First, to have a long-term vision and deepen economic and trade cooperation. The two sides should enhance strategic planning for cooperation, establish a long-term perspective based on the current cooperation, deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and promote the balanced development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
Second, to strengthen communication and improve government services. The two governments, especially the economic and trade authorities, should step up economic and trade exchanges and contacts, give full play to the role of the mixed committee on economy, improve cooperation mechanisms, create a favorable environment, and provide quality services for cooperation between enterprises.
Third, to make pioneering efforts and further promote cooperation in key areas. The two sides should give full play to their respective advantages, open up new channels of cooperation, explore new cooperation models, and build a new platform. The Chinese government encourages and supports Chinese enterprises to participate actively in the development of infrastructure in Slovakia, such as energy, roads, railways and telecommunications and encourages the two sides to carry out pragmatic cooperation in R&D, labor, project contracting, new energy and other areas so as to constantly cultivate new growth points for trade and investment.
Fourth, to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results and give better play to the driving role of enterprises. The business communities are the main forces driving bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The business communities, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, need to expand contacts, strengthen understanding, capture the timing of the adjustment of world economy, look for new opportunities and seek for mutual benefit and win-win results.
Fifth, to strengthen practical co-ordination and achieve positive interaction through pragmatic cooperation. The two sides should adhere to free trade, oppose protectionism, and actively deepen the economic and trade relations between China and the European Union (EU) and between China and Slovakia in a frank, open and pragmatic spirit and through dialogue and cooperation so as to achieve sustained development.
Hu Jintao pointed out that comprehensively promoting bilateral friendship and cooperation and expanding mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation are in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples. He hoped that the entrepreneurs of the two countries could join hands to create a new situation in bilateral economic and trade cooperation and compose a new chapter of friendship between China and Slovakia.
President Gasparovic expressed his admiration for the vigorous development of China in the past 30 years. He said that China's development is conducive to Slovakia and Slovakia is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial economic cooperation with China and jointly deal with the impact of international financial crisis.
He said that Slovakia is one of the fastest growing economies in EU in recent years. He hoped the two countries could strengthen cooperation in energy, agriculture, medicine, machinery, technology, environmental protection, tourism, and other fields, and make Slovakia become a bridge for China to access the EU market and an important destination of investment for Chinese enterprises. He expressed the belief that the economic success of Slovakia and China and the traditional friendship between the two countries will help to further promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
The representatives from Lenovo Group, Qingdao MESNAC Co., Ltd. and a Slovakian iron and steel factory delivered speeches at the breakfast meeting.
Ling Jihua, Wang Huning, and Dai Bingguo also attended the above-mentioned activities.