Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer cheer in front of supporters after he won the Austrian presidential election, Vienna, Austria, October 9, 2022. /CFP
Editor's note: Hamzah Rifaat Hussain, a former visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and former assistant researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, is a TV anchor at Indus News in Pakistan. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.
Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen's re-election in 2022 provides numerous opportunities for the China-Austria bilateral relationship and strategic partnership to move forward. By jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), strengthening anti-corruption drives and tackling regional and global security challenges, both sides can contribute to global development and peace.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's delivered a congratulatory message that was followed up by his emphasis to take the existing strategic cooperation to new heights. The boosting of bilateral ties and strategic partnership can synergize existing gains and provide valuable contributions for regional and global prosperity for both great nations.
Victory for Van Der Bellen's Green Party has come amid extensive campaigns to promote social justice, environmentalism, tax reform and nonviolence. Such campaigning have captured widespread popularity in Austria as Van Der Bellen garnered praised for exhibiting calm during a period of national turmoil.
In his previous term, the Austrian President visited Beijing in 2018 with President Xi Jinping proposing an upgrading of China-Austria ties to a strategic partnership, which covers judicial reform, law and order, promotion of anti-corruption drives, asset recoveries and fugitive repatriation.
The mutual trust in 2018 was further complimented in 2022, as meetings between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer resulted in a reiteration of the vital role of China in international affairs, an unwavering commitment to the one-China principle and how the Chinese economy encourages enterprises from across the world to invest and develop businesses for greater prosperity.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is talking to media at the end of an informal EU leaders summit in Prague, Czech Republic, October 7, 2022. /CFP
Additionally, Austria obtained an observer status at the 16+1 cooperation format, which brings together China, Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC). It was also invited by China to become a full member of the China-CEEC cooperation framework with most Central and Eastern European states formalizing their participation in the BRI.
Austria's participation provides numerous benefits for BRI infrastructure projects in Europe, such as the development of a new railway from the port of Piraeus in Greece to Budapest in Hungary. Similarly, Austria's domestic railway infrastructure can facilitate routes between the Balkans and Italy which cements regional connectivity. The bilateral ties, however are not limited to infrastructure through the BRI alone.
Historically, Austria's position in Europe has facilitated linkages between Eastern and Western Europe, which fits into the BRI's aims to promote East-West connectivity. Existing cooperation with China involving cultural exchanges and soft power diplomacy can foster more people-to-people contacts and harmony between different societies.
Accordingly, positive optics in bilateral relations should be carried forward in 2022. In an era defined by unstable supply chains, declining economic productivity and rising levels of food insecurity, both sides can strive towards creating new export markets and value chains through the BRI.
Amiable relations can also complement China's wider relations with the European Union to usher in cooperation on a reciprocal basis, while ensuring dialogue and diplomacy is considered the right course of action. China-EU trade amounted to $205 billion in first three months of 2022 while China's exports to Austria totaled $441 million in August 2022, which highlight optimism for burgeoning trade ties, economic connectivity and supply chain resilience.
Bilaterally, establishing a judicial assistance treaty on criminal cases can aid the process of tackling transnational crime and contribute to global security. Both China and Austria exhibit zero tolerance for any form of terrorist activity and hybrid warfare and as per a joint statement issued by the two countries, fighting cross border crimes and cyber-attacks is considered a joint responsibility.
Additionally at the multilateral level, both sides can enhance coordination in global affairs and offer proposals to safeguard international peace and uphold international law. The global environment in 2022 is characterized by heightened polarization, arms build ups and militarization, which threatens peace and tranquility. Accordingly, countries such as China and Austria can offer constructive solutions to resolve conflicts and prevent the erosion of multilateralism due to the rise of populism.
Hence, there is a requirement to take the existing China-Austria strategic partnership to new heights for peace and prosperity.
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