欧中发展研究中心（ECCRD）访问河南省委外办 （摄影：潘静彪） Liang Jieyi (right) meets with Zhao Wenchao (Photo by Pan Jingbiao)
2月14日，欧盟智库组织欧中发展研究中心（ECCRD）研究员、执行主席赵文超一行拜会河南省委外办主任、省对外友协会长梁杰一先生。梁杰一在省委外办会见来访客人。
梁杰一向客人介绍了近年河南与希腊等欧洲国家的合作情况。他表示，河南依托地域、文化、制造业等突出优势，积极推动“四条丝路”协同发展，与包括希腊在内的欧洲国家合作潜力会越来越大。其中，发源于河南的两拳（太极拳、少林拳）、中医、二十四节气等中原文化，对西方了解中华传统价值观具有重要意义，希望欧中发展研究中心发挥平台优势，结合黄河文明和希腊文明比较研究，立足中西文化差异，在文明互鉴中推进求同存异，实现合作共赢。
赵文超感谢河南省委外办对欧中发展研究中心的关心与支持，就在河南创建中欧陆海快线国际分拨中心事宜与梁杰一主任交换看法。梁杰一针对该项目在河南落地提出了中肯而富有建设性的建议与期望。
首届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛以来，希中两国领导人多次就中欧陆海快线建设发声。
Zhao Wenchao, Researcher and Executive Chairman of the Euro-Chinese Centre for Research and Development (ECCRD), an EU think tank, and his delegation paid a visit to Mr. Liang Jieyi, Director of Foreign Affairs Office of Henan Provincial Party Committee and President of the Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, on February 14. Liang Jieyi met with visiting guests at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Provincial Party Committee, CPC.
Liang Jieyi briefed the guests on the collaboration between Henan Province and Greece and other European countries in recent years. He said that relying on the prominent advantages in region, culture and manufacturing, Henan had actively facilitated the coordinated development of “Four Silk Roads”, and the potential for cooperation with European countries including Greece would be increasingly greater. Among them, Central Plains cultures such as two kinds of boxing (Shadowboxing and Shaolin Boxing), traditional Chinese medicine and 24 solar terms originating in Henan were of great significance for the West to understand traditional Chinese values. Hopefully, the ECCRD can take advantage of the platform, combine with the comparative study between the Yellow River civilization and Greek civilization, base itself on the cultural differences between China and the West, and seek common points while reserving differences in the mutual learning of civilizations to achieve win-win cooperation.
Zhao Wenchao appreciated the concern and support of the Foreign Affairs Office of Henan Provincial Committee to ECCRD, and exchanged opinions with Director Liang on the building of an international distribution center the International Distribution Center (IDC) of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line in Henan Province. Liang Jieyi presented pertinent and constructive suggestions and expectations in respect to the settle-down of this project in Henan.
Since the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, leaders of Greece and China have given voice on the construction of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line for many times.
图为2019年11月11日， 习近平和夫人彭丽媛在希腊总理米佐塔基斯夫妇陪同下参观中远海运比雷埃夫斯港项目。 （图片转自新华网 新华社记者 谢环驰摄） The picture shows Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan visiting COSCO’s Port of Piraeus Project accompanied by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece and his wife on November 11, 2019. (Photo by Li Xueren, a reporter of Xinhua news agency)
2019年，中国国家主席习近平访问希腊，在比雷埃夫斯港参观时，习近平指出：我相信比雷埃夫斯港的前景不可限量。强调：打造好中欧陆海快线，将快线建成中欧货物运输和互联互通的重要通道。这条被中希国家领导人寄予厚望的新航线是中欧、乃至亚欧之间最短的海运航线，比传统线路节省了7-11天的时间。
有关资料显示，2020年在疫情下，中欧陆海快线货运量照往年逆势增长了43%，2021年该快线货运量同比增长25%。欧中发展研究中心副研究员亚历山大（Alexander Westra）说：“新贸易通道推动了欧洲物流供应链的改变，在河南省创建中欧陆海快线国际分拨中心，对中国中部地区进一步提高进出口额具有重要意义，该项目一旦落地预计每年将在豫欧之间拉动数百、乃至千亿元人民币的贸易额。”
ECCRD的主要研究领域为“促进欧中可持续发展、文明对话及经济合作”等。曾与中国友协、中国贸促会及地方政府等合作，在欧洲和中国分别举办过多次研讨会、大型展会等。世界“文明古国论坛”的策划即源自该智库。早在2017年，该智库即着手策划中欧陆海快线国际分拨中心项目。2018年，中国驻希腊时任大使章启月就项目专题会见该中心主席马提亚都与赵文超。希腊多位部长、希腊总理智囊团、希腊驻华大使也针对项目会见过赵文超。
希腊是世界第一海运大国，不仅是“一带一路”双支点国家，也是中欧陆海快线在欧洲的双起点国家。作为连接欧亚非的桥头堡，希中比雷埃夫斯港合作项目为“一带一路”国际合作提供了典范，中欧陆海快线项目正是希中比港合作项目的再扩展、再延申。
赵文超告诉记者：“中欧经济合作潜力无限。我们有信心在河南省委外办、省对外友协等的大力支持下，推动中欧陆海快线国际分拨中心项目成为‘一带一路’国际合作的新典范。”
河南位于黄河中下游，它像爱琴文明孕育了希腊乃至西方文明一样具有灿烂辉煌的历史，是中华文明的主要发源地。该省总面积约17万平方千米，总人口115000万人，作为中国第一人口大省，市场潜力巨大。2021年河南省外贸进出口总值首次突破8000亿元人民币大关，创下达8208.1亿元的新高，同比增长22.9%，2022年该省GDP 创下61345.05亿元的新高，比上年增长3.1%。
有学者指出,2021年，河南省提出了对外开放“建高地”、县域经济“成高原”等重大战略。但河南地处作为中国中部，属于内陆地区，该省对外开放的雄心推动了新发展，但一枝独大的格局尚需改变，譬如仅富士康在河南的产业就占据了该省超60%的进出口份额，说明多元化的外贸格局亟待形成。尤其，该省县域经济对对外贸易的需求强劲，但缺乏引导性平台，中欧陆海快线国际分拨中心项目可以补此短板。
该项目的属性属于服务贸易范畴，搭建的是一个互通有无的国际贸易交易平台，信息化、平台化及一站式交易是其主要特征。基本服务流程是：搭建平台、提供供需信息、促进贸易谈判与签约、陆海运单及保单、信用证结算、保税仓/海外仓、清关。该项目若在河南落地，不仅能服务全省，并可辐射中国的苏北、皖北及鲁西南。
In 2019, when Xi Jinping, the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China visited Port of Piraeus, he pointed out that, “I believe that the prospect of the Port of Piraeus is beyond measure” and emphasized on building the International Distribution Center (IDC) of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line favorably. This new route, which had been placed high hopes by the leaders of China and Greece, was the shortest shipping route between China and Europe, and even between Asia and Europe, saving 7 to 11 days compared to the traditional route.
As manifested by relevant data, under the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the freight volume of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line bucked the trend and grew by 43% compared with previous years. In 2021, the freight volume of this center increased by 25% year-on-year. Alexander Westra, an associate researcher of ECCRD, said that, “The new trade channel has stimulated the change of European logistics supply chains. The building of an IDC of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line in Henan is of great significance for the central region of China. Once the project settles down, it is expected to contribute to a trade volume of tens of billions of euros between Henan and Europe annually.”
The main research areas of this think tank are “to boost the sustainable development, civilization dialogue and economic partnership between Europe and China”. It has worked with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries（CPAFFC）, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and local governments, and held many seminars and large trade fairs, etc. in Europe and China respectively. It is also this think tank that masterminded the World Forum on Ancient Civilizations. In 2017, the think tank embarked on the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line project. In 2018, Zhang Qiyue, the then Chinese Ambassador to Greece, met with Amalia Matiatou, the Chairmen of the ECCRD, and Zhao Wenchao, on the theme of this project. Many Greek ministers, the think tank of the Prime Minister of Greece and the Greek Ambassador to China also met with Zhao Wenchao on the project in succession.
Greece, the world’s largest maritime power, is not only a double-fulcrum country of along the “Belt and Road”, but also a double-starting point country of China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line in Europe. As a bridgehead connecting Europe, Asia and Africa, the Sino-Greece Port of Piraeus project has set an example for the international cooperation of the “the Belt and Road Initiative”. The China-Europe Land-Sea Express is the very re-expansion and continuation of the joint project of Port of Piraeus.
Zhao Wenchao told the reporters, “There is infinite potential for China-EU economic cooperation. And we are confident that with the vigorous support of the Foreign Affairs Office of Henan Provincial Party Committee, the project will become a new example of international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.”
Located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Henan has a splendid history just like the Aegean civilization, which bred Greece and even the western civilization. It is the main cradle of Chinese civilization. This province, with a total area of 170,000 square kilometers and a population of 1,150 million, is the most populous province in China, and has an enormous market potential. In 2021, the total import and export value of this province exceeded 800 billion yuan for the first time, hitting a new record high of 820.81 billion yuan, up 22.9% over the previous year, and would continue to grow in 2022.
This province’s ambition to open up has spurred new development. Some scholars point out that Henan is located in the central part of China and landlocked. Since 2021, the new development strategies of this province to open up, such as “building a highland”, and turning county economy “into a plateau” have begun to take effect, but the framework that the field of foreign trade monopolizes needs to be changed. For example, Foxconn’s property in Henan alone accounts for about 60% of the import and export value of this province, indicating that a diversified foreign trade pattern is yet to be formed. In particular, the county economy of this province has a strong demand for foreign trade, but a steering platform is still absent. The IDC project can fill this gap. If this project settles down in Henan, it can not only serve the whole province, but also radiate to northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui and southwest Shandong in China.
The project falls under the category of trade services. Informatization, platformization and one-stop transaction are its main features. The basic service process is: to build a platform, provide supply and demand information, promote trade negotiation and contracting, land and sea waybills and insurance policies, settlement by letter of credit, bonded warehouse/overseas warehouse, and customs clearance.
左起侯卫东、Alexander Westra、赵文超、梁杰一、屈鹏飞、张艳莉（摄影：潘静彪） Hou Weidong, Alexander Westra, Zhao Wenchao, Liang Jieyi, Qu Pengfei and Zhang Yanli from left (Photo by Pan Jingbiao)
Qu Pengfei, Level-1 Inspector of the Foreign Affairs Office of Henan Provincial Party Committee, Zhang Yanli, Secretary-General of Henan Friendship Association, Alexander, the associate researcher of ECCRD, and Hou Weidong, representative of He’nan University, were present at the meeting.
Both sides also consult over the establishment of a think tank partnership between ECCRD and He’nan University and reach preliminary consensus.
河南省委外办二级巡视员屈鹏飞、河南省友协秘书长张艳莉，ECCRD副研究员亚历山大，河南大学希腊文明研究中心副主任、博士生导师侯卫东等会谈时在座。
双方还就欧中发展研究中心与河南大学建立智库合作进行了磋商，并达成初步共识。
