Under the theme of New Era of China, New Opportunities for Western China, the 18th WCIF will be held at Western China International Expo City from September 16 to 20. 

 

    WCIF has been held for 17 years. This grand event in Western China, with active participation of all countries, has deepened the ties between countries and Western China and brought bilateral cooperations. More and more foreign dignitaries and heads of international organizations have participated in WCIF, making it an important political and diplomatic event. So, from the perspective of foreign dignitaries and heads of international organizations, how do they think about WICF? 

 

Then President of Macedonia

 

Gjorge Ivanov

 

    The WCIF is an excellent platform where we can meet guests from all over the world. We could follow the wisdom of Confucius and other philosophers, and visit Sichuan, China along the Silk Road to promote the common prosperity of China and Macedonia.

 

Then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

 

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake

 

    Our participation in WCIF is to seek and promote exchanges and cooperation between Sri Lanka and Western China in the fields of economy, trade, culture, etc. We hope to establish multi-level and multi-channel cooperation and communication with Sichuan and have more enterprises to invest and develop in Sri Lanka.

 

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus

 

Anatoly Tozik

 

    WCIF plays a crucial role in showcasing industries and products of Belarus at our pavilion and we are also interested in commodities made in Sichuan. Another important role is that it strengthens our economic and trade cooperation: the opening of the railway from Chengdu to Poland via Belarus make it possible for both sides to trade by rail. 

 

Then Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

 

Petko Draganov

 

    The WCIF held in Chengdu has narrowed the distance between Western China and the world, opened a window for the world to better understand Chengdu, Sichuan, Western China, and China, especially to better perceive the unique charm of the most representative city in western regions.

 

Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development, Labor and Social Policy of Italy

 

Luigi Di Maio

 

(the 17th WCIF in 2018)

 

    I would like to congratulate (WCIF) for the success of these years. Please make persistent efforts.

 

Vice President of Nepal

 

Pun

 

(the 17th WCIF in 2018)

 

    I am very pleased to attend the 17th WCIF. The events at this year's WCIF were wonderfully and successfully organized.

 

Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Laos

 

Sonexay

 

(the 17th WCIF in 2018)

 

    I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Sichuan government for this warm welcome. Sichuan is rich in natural resources, with magnificent mountains and beautiful rivers, as well as kind, enthusiastic and friendly Sichuan people. Sichuan is the home of giant pandas that attract domestic and foreign tourists to visit Sichuan constantly. Sichuan has strong scientific and technological strength and international innovative concepts. In particular, innovative inventions in multiple frontier fields have driven the continuous progress and development of Sichuan’s high-tech industries. Sichuan, with its advantageous geographical location, is an important channel connecting China to West Asia and Europe.

 

Second Vice Chairman of the Cambodian Senate

 

Tep Ngorn

 

(the 17th WCIF in 2018)

 

    WCIF has achieved fruitful results and also promoted the prosperity and development of Sichuan, the hometown of Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China’s Reform and Opening-up. Today, Sichuan has become a model province for the development of Western China. WCIF also embodies the achievements of modern China, and I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations on this. I hope that Cambodia and Sichuan can further strengthen cooperation and achieve brilliant results under the Cambodia-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the overall framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.