On 27th July 2019, Ambassador Cao Zhongming attended at invitation the “New Silk Road” Concert of the EU-China Youth Music & Art Festival held in the city of Zandhoven, accompanied by Major Van Hove of Zandhoven and culture counsellor Xiang Shihai.

 

        Ambassador Cao Zhongming said in his remark that the ancient Silk Road has given rise to many stories of friendly exchanges between the west and east. The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 is aimed to carry forward and promote the Silk Road spirit, combine the Chinese dream with those of other countries, and advance common prosperity and world development. It is hoped that youth from China and Belgium can strengthen exchanges and friendship through the event, and grow up to become contributors to the progress of China-Belgium relations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

        The EU-China Youth Music & Art Festival is co-organized by the city government of Zandhoven, Lier and the Municipal Academy of Music, Literature and Dance of Lier (SAMWD Lier). The “New Silk Road” Concert is the most featured activity on the program of the festival. During the concert, teenagers of the “Star of Art” troupe from the Chinese city of Nanning in the southern province of Guangxi, and students and teachers of SAMWD Lier jointly performed the “New Silk Road” symphony written by Belgian composer Han Flintrop.