Moldovan ambassador talks China ties, upcoming Olympics

Editor's Note: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Republic of Moldova and China.

In an exclusive interview, Dumitru Braghis, the Moldovan ambassador to China, shared his opinions on the past and future of Moldova-China ties, talked about his expectations for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and gave his best wishes to the Chinese people for the coming Chinese New Year.

The following are highlights from the interview.

Q: How do you see the development of China-Moldova ties in the past three decades, and how do you see them going forward?

Dumitru Braghis: The Republic of Moldova and China have a long history of friendship and cooperation, as we celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations this year. And even if geographically we are not very close, I am proud to mention that today, relations between Republic of Moldova and China are on the rise, marked by excellent political, economic, cultural and academic cooperation. Accounting for all the results we achieved during this period, we can say our friendship can be named as an example of a big and small country's successful and positive relationship. And despite the global COVID-19 epidemic, our two countries continued dialogue and cooperation.

The two countries understand and support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, while pragmatic cooperation in various fields has continuously achieved new accomplishments. Today our bilateral relations are supported by more than 60 cooperation agreements we signed; the Republic of Moldova is a member of the Belt and Road Initiative; China is our fourth-largest trading partner; China is our biggest market for wine in Asia; we have signed several sister-city agreements and opened three Moldova-China Centers throughout China; we have an increasing exchange of students and experts every year; and excellent people-to-people cultural exchanges.

All these achievements laid a solid foundation for enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the Republic of Moldova and China.