Chinese President Xi Jinping recently replied to a letter from a friendly Belgian personage, encouraging him to push for stronger China-Belgium and China-Europe friendships.

In his letter to Eric Domb, president and founder of the Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium, Xi said the development of China-Belgium relations cannot be achieved without the long-term efforts and selfless dedication of friendly personages from all walks of life in both countries.

He voiced confidence that Domb and other friendly personages will continue to sow the seeds of friendship and attract more people, not least those of the younger generation, to actively participate in the cause of friendship to make new contributions to advancing China-Belgium and China-Europe relations.

China's commitment to a high-quality development path that prioritizes ecological conservation and features a green and low-carbon mode will provide more opportunities for the world and make a greater contribution to human progress, Xi said.

He said China is actively promoting Chinese modernization that features harmonious coexistence between man and nature and carrying out major biodiversity conservation projects.

A large number of endangered species have been under effective protection, with giant pandas thereby having been downgraded from endangered species to vulnerable ones, he added.

In a letter Domb recently wrote to Xi, he recalled that Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, attended the opening ceremony of the giant panda hall at the Pairi Daiza Zoo during their visit to Belgium in March 2014.

Domb said the Chinese garden of the zoo epitomizes the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature and that the Chinese Dream and China's development and prosperity will always be opportunities that could be shared by the rest of the world.

Reading Domb's warm letter, Xi said he recalls when he and Belgian King Philippe, along with their spouses, attended the opening ceremony of the giant panda hall at the Pairi Daiza zoo during a visit to Belgium in 2014.

Xi said he is glad to learn that the purple magnolia planted in the zoo at that time has blossomed and the two giant pandas, China's "friendship envoys," are also growing.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: Two giant pandas at the Pairi Daiza zoo in Belgium, January 27, 2021. /CFP)