President Xi's reply conveys deep friendship, head of state diplomacy | Yulan tree high Belgium | head of state diplomacy

In midsummer, the magnolia branches in the Chinese Garden of the Belgian Paradise Zoo are lush and green like emerald.

On June 20th, in front of this magnolia tree with special significance, Dong Bo, Chairman and Founder of Paradise Zoo, received a precious reply from the Chinese Embassy in Belgium.

This reply letter is full of warm memories and sincere hopes, conveying a profound friendship that spans time.

The tree of friendship is lush and lush

"In my letter to President Xi Jinping, I recounted the good memories of his visit that year, as well as the latest situation of the zoo." Dong Bo said, "President Xi Jinping is very busy at work. I did not expect to receive a reply so soon."

During the event, the heads of state and their spouses jointly planted new soil on a magnolia tree symbolizing friendship.

In the city of Bruggelet, Belgium, tourists visit the Chinese Garden of the Paradise Zoo.

Dong Bo recalled that 9 years had passed, and now this magnolia tree has stood tall and graceful, complementing the surrounding flowers and trees. Every spring, it is full of blooming flowers, lush and fragrant.

The magnolia tree is planted in the center of the Paradise Zoo China Park, about 200 meters away from the Giant Panda Park. The magnolia tree is backed by pavilions and towers with green tiles and red walls, surrounded by rockeries, bonsai, incense burners, and bird cages full of Chinese cultural charm. On the ground, traditional bird and animal patterns are paved with pebbles.

The Chinese Garden of Paradise Zoo covers an area of 4.5 hectares. Looking up from the small hills of the China Garden, a curved bridge comes into view, with lush greenery and the chirping of birds. Walking down the mountain, Dong Bo invited craftsmen to design a small waterfall landscape. On the stone path leading down the mountain to the Giant Panda Park stands a archway with the three big characters "Chinese Dream" engraved on it.

At the Chinese Garden of Paradise Zoo in Belgium, tourists walk under the archway.

I have visited China more than 20 times and feel that China's beautiful mountains, rivers, and exquisite garden art are breathtaking.

Jointly protecting biodiversity

When Dong Bo wrote to President Xi Jinping, it was the 7th birthday of China's giant panda "Tianbao. Dong Bo said that he hopes to tell President Xi Jinping that Chinese giant pandas have been well taken care of in Belgium. They are not only healthy and comfortable, but also reproduce their offspring and the family is prosperous.

Chinese giant pandas "Xinghui" and "Haohao" arrived in Belgium in February 2014 and stayed in the giant panda park prepared for them at the Paradise Zoo. In June 2016, "Haohao" gave birth to a male cub "Tianbao", and in August 2019, she gave birth to twins "Baodi" and "Baomei".

At the Paradise Zoo in Belgium, giant pandas "Baodi" and "Baomei" enjoy a birthday feast.

Pandas are healthy and cute, which has attracted both domestic and foreign tourists in the park to stop and take photos. Liu Yang, a keeper from Sichuan, has been accompanying and taking care of Xinghui and Haohao since 2014. She said that her local colleagues at the zoo are very dedicated and work together to study the living habits and dietary patterns of giant pandas, taking great care of these "friendship ambassadors".

China is firmly committed to the path of ecological priority, green and low-carbon high-quality development, which will provide more opportunities for the world and make greater contributions to the progress of all humanity.

The reproduction of giant pandas can be considered a global challenge. With the joint efforts of China and Belgium, giant pandas have given birth and raised children in Belgium, constantly importing more offspring. As a result, Paradise Zoo has become one of the few overseas zoos with five giant pandas at the same time. Over the past nine years, China and Belgium have achieved fruitful results in jointly promoting the conservation and breeding of giant pandas, as well as the management, health monitoring, personnel training, scientific research, and public education of their cubs. They have also conducted beneficial cooperative explorations in the protection of endangered species and biodiversity.

Le Claire, the governor of the province of Aino in Belgium, where the Paradise Zoo is located, highly praised China's outstanding achievements in animal and plant protection, and hopes that the two countries will continue to work together to promote biodiversity conservation and contribute to enhancing human well-being.

Dong Bo said that both China and Belgium are committed to protecting biodiversity. People's continuous investment in protecting rare species and the environment they rely on actually improves the entire ecosystem, indirectly protecting more species. This is a beneficial work for the future of humanity.

Strengthening the Link of Cultural Exchange

"Friendship requires frequent comings and frequent contacts." Dong Bo said that in his letter to President Xi Jinping, he expressed his friendship for China and the Chinese people.

I believe that you and other friendly individuals will continue to sow the seeds of friendship, attract more people, especially the younger generation, to actively participate in the cause of friendship, and make new contributions to the development of China Belgium and China Europe relations.

In the city of Bruggelet, Belgium, tourists visit the Chinese Garden of the Paradise Zoo.

The friendship between countries lies in people's mutual affinity, which Dong Bo deeply understands. When building the China Garden 17 years ago, in order to present the authentic charm of Chinese culture as much as possible, Dong Bo hired craftsmen from China and later became good friends with them. "We ordinary people are close to and trust each other, which also helps to enhance the relationship between countries.".

Cultural exchange is an important component of China Belgium relations. In recent years, Chinese education in Belgium has steadily developed, with almost all local research-oriented universities offering Chinese majors or offering Chinese elective courses. Every year, 20 to 30 primary and secondary schools offer Chinese language and culture courses, with nearly a thousand registered students; A series of cultural exchange activities and exhibitions, such as "Tea and the World · Yaji", "Song Yun Longquan Celadon Exhibition", and "Xinjiang is a Good Place", have landed in Belgium, effectively promoting mutual understanding and kinship between the two peoples; Belgian athlete Bart Swins won the speed skating championship at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and after 74 years, won another Winter Olympics gold medal for Belgium, becoming a beautiful memory of sports exchanges between the two peoples

Dong Bo said that he deeply agrees with China's advocacy of inclusiveness and mutual learning among different civilizations, and working together towards a better future. "Beauty is the dream of everyone and can be shared. Everyone can contribute to it and make the world a better place.".