Chinese and French Experts Discuss China-Europe Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative

Deng Chundong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Academy of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, presided over the opening ceremony of the forum.

中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院党委书记邓纯东主持论坛开幕式

International Online report (China Radio International reporter Xue Chao): On October 9, the "2017 China Road Europe Forum – China-Europe Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative" French sub-forum was held in Paris. The "2017 China Road Europe Forum" was co-organized by the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Gabriel Péri Foundation of France, and the French Communist Party newspaper *L'Humanité*, with three sub-forums held in Spain, France, and Italy respectively, aiming to promote the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the process of global integration.

国际在线报道（中国国际广播电台记者 薛超）：10月9日，“2017中国道路欧洲论坛——‘一带一路’倡议下的中欧合作”法国分论坛在巴黎举办。“2017中国道路欧洲论坛”由中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院、法国加布里埃尔·佩里基金会、法国共产党《人道报》等单位共同主办，分别在西班牙、法国和意大利举行三场分论坛，旨在推动“一带一路”建设和全球一体化进程。

As one of the initiators of the event, Deng Chundong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Academy of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, first stated the purpose of holding the forum at the opening ceremony of the French sub-forum: "I feel that in France and even throughout Europe, despite the current highly developed information technology, the understanding of China is still not very comprehensive or objective. Therefore, we Chinese scholars have come here this time to communicate and introduce China's actual situation and the progress the entire country has made in recent years face-to-face with our French friends. I think this is not only necessary for French friends to understand China, but they can also introduce what they have learned to the whole of French and European society."

作为活动发起方之一，中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院党委书记邓纯东在法国分论坛的开幕式上首先表明了举办此次论坛的目的：“我感觉到法国乃至整个欧洲，在当前资讯很发达的情况下，对中国的了解仍然不是很全面和客观。因此我们中国的学者这次到这里来，可以把中国的实际情况、这些年来整个国家的进步等，和法国朋友面对面地进行交流和介绍。我觉得这样不仅对法国朋友们了解中国是必要的，而且他们还可以把了解到的情况介绍给整个法国和欧洲社会。”

Chinese and French scholars discuss the prospects of the Belt and Road Initiative

中法学者就“一带一路”的前景展开讨论

Subsequently, Lydia Samarbakhsh, the International Relations Officer of the French Communist Party, introduced the situation in France. She discussed how, after President Macron came to power, his determination to reform labor laws, the defense budget, and other areas has also elevated the status of foreign trade in France's economic development. His boldness and innovation have attracted more foreign investors. Lydia Samarbakhsh believes that it is precisely against this backdrop

随后，法国共产党国际关系负责人萨迪亚·萨马巴什介绍了法国的情况，她谈到马克龙总统上台后，在劳动法、国防预算等方面的改革决心，也让对外贸易在法国经济发展中的地位有所提升，他的大胆与创新吸引了更多的外来投资者。萨迪亚·萨马巴什认为，正是在这样的背景下，习近平主席提出的“一带一路”倡议更加符合法国的发展需求，为法国乃至整个欧洲的发展打开了新的视野。萨迪亚·萨马巴什说：“‘一带一路’倡议所涉及的，不仅仅是单一的某个区域，而是不同大陆间的国家的合作。‘一带一路’倡议可以实行的基础是促进经济合作以及基础设施方面的建设，显然这样的互利模式是值得参与的。更重要的是，这种跨国跨区域的基础设施建设合作，也让沿线地区普通百姓的人权和自由可以得到更多保障。”

However, the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative has not been recognized by everyone, and has even triggered the view of the "China threat theory" from media in some Western countries, which holds that China is taking the opportunity to engage in economic expansion. In response, Professor Ma Yongfu from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National University of Defense Technology of China emphasized in his speech that the Belt and Road Initiative is a path paved for win-win cooperation among all countries, and China only plays a guiding role: "In the construction of the Belt and Road, we actively advocate but do not seek dominance, vigorously promote but do not force progress, and do not seek to replace existing regional cooperation mechanisms. Instead, we aim to put the 'new wine' of the Belt and Road into the 'bottles' of existing mechanisms and platforms, thereby achieving mutual alignment and complementary advantages."

然而，“一带一路”倡议的提出，并没有得到所有人的认可，甚至还引发了西方部分国家媒体提出“中国威胁论”的观点，认为中国是借机进行经济扩张。对此，中国国防科技大学人文与社会科学学院教授马永富在讲话中强调，“一带一路”倡议是为各国合作共赢铺设的道路，中国只是起引导作用：“在‘一带一路’建设上，我们积极倡导而不谋求主导，强力推进而不强制推进，不谋求替代现有的地区合作机制，而是通过在现有机制平台的‘瓶子’中装入‘一带一路’的‘新酒’，从而实现相互对接、优势互补。”

Speech by Francis Wurtz, Honorary Member of the European Parliament and Director of the Institute of European Studies at Paris 8 University

欧洲议会名誉会员，巴黎第8大学欧洲研究所所长弗朗西斯·伍兹发言

Regarding the question of China using this for economic expansion and attempting to seek hegemony, Francis Wurtz, Honorary Member of the European Parliament and Director of the Institute of European Studies at Paris 8 University, believes that any country initiating a proposal must first and foremost be beneficial to its own development, which is beyond doubt. As long as the proposal also aligns with the interests of the majority of countries, it is worth advocating. Francis Wurtz said: "For every country, launching a plan must first serve its own national interests. I think China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative to consolidate its domestic development trends while also seeking greater recognition globally. I find this perfectly understandable. At least so far, I do not see that the Belt and Road Initiative has caused any loss of interests to China's partners."

对于中国借此经济扩张、试图称霸的疑问，欧洲议会名誉会员、巴黎第8大学欧洲研究所所长弗朗西斯·伍兹认为，任何国家发起一个倡议首先肯定是要对自己的发展有利的，这无可置疑，只要这个提议同时也符合大多数国家的利益，那就是值得提倡的。弗朗西斯·伍兹说：“对每个国家来说，发起一个计划肯定首先都是要为本国利益服务的，我认为中国提出‘一带一路’倡议，是为了巩固国内发展趋势，同时也谋求在全球范围内得到更多认可，我觉得无可厚非。至少目前为止，我不觉得‘一带一路’倡议对中国的合作伙伴们造成了任何利益损失。”

Additionally, when a Chinese journalist mentioned that some French citizens they had contacted seemed to lack confidence in the prospects of the Belt and Road, Francis Wurtz also offered his understanding and suggestions: "It should be understood that for workers in France and the entire European Union, they are always full of worries about their rights, their jobs, and their future. So I have always emphasized that to realize the construction of the Belt and Road, we must adhere to the concept of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. Moreover, this win-win situation should not only be between enterprises but must also be concretely reflected in the workers themselves, allowing them to see the benefits as well. This is the most important thing."

另外，有中国记者谈到接触过的部分法国民众似乎对“一带一路”的前景缺乏信心，弗朗西斯·伍兹也给出了他的理解和建议：“应当理解，对于法国以及整个欧盟的劳动者来说，他们始终对自己的权利、自己的工作和未来充满担忧，所以我一直强调我们要实现‘一带一路’建设，一定要坚持互利共赢的理念，而且这种共赢不仅是企业和企业之间的，更要具体体现在劳动者身上，让他们从中也看到利益，这是最重要的。”

Wang Jin, Director and Researcher at the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, delivered a speech on the theme of the Belt and Road and China's New Development Concepts

中央编译局处长、研究员王瑾演讲的主题是“一带一路”与中国的新发展理念

In addition to discussing the prospects of the Belt and Road, other sessions of the French sub-forum also conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on topics of common concern to China and France, such as the reconfiguration of labor rights and international security. On October 13, the final stop of the "2017 China Road Europe Forum – China-Europe Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative" will be held in Italy.

除了共议“一带一路”的前景，法国分论坛的其他单元还就劳动权的重新洗牌、国际安全等中法两国都比较关注的议题进行了深入交流与讨论。10月13日，“2017中国道路欧洲论坛——‘一带一路’倡议下的中欧合作”的最后一站将在意大利举行。