What you say is as important as what you do

Herman Van Rompuy has served as prime minister of Belgium and president of the European Council, and in both capacities he received Xi Jinping during visits to Belgium in 2009 and the European Union headquarters in Brussels in 2014. Mr Xi also met him in Beijing and on other occasions before the veteran European politician ended his political career in late 2014.

Of those visits, Mr Van Rompuy said he was keen to highlight two speeches President Xi delivered.

Mr Xi gave the first one at the College of Europe in Brugge, where Mr Van Rompuy is still teaching, when Mr Xi ended his first tour to Western Europe as Chinese president in early 2014.

“In the speech, Xi explained China’s long history of civilisation and the impressive achievements made by strategic partners China and the European Union,” Mr Van Rompuy said in Brussels.

Mr Xi proposed both sides forge a partnership from peace, reform, growth and civilisation, which have become guidelines of their bilateral relationship. In this sense, Mr Van Rompuy said, Mr Xi’s speech was “politically symbolic”. For politicians, he said, “words are as important as actions”.

During Mr Xi’s visit to the European Union headquarters before giving the speech, both China and the bloc looked at common points between the Belt and Road Initiative and European development programmes. In late 2014, after Donald Tusk replaced Mr Van Rompuy, both sides started to forge ties between the initiative and multi-billion-euro European investment scheme.

“China is very good at longterm plans, and we hope that this initiative can be very successful in developing bilateral relations,” Mr Van Rompuy said.

Mr Xi’s speech advocating open economies and free trade and the fight against protectionism was the second one Mr Van Rompuy was keen to highlight.

“We were much impressed by President Xi’s speech in Davos, which showcased China’s engagement with an open economy in a globalised world,” Mr Van Rompuy said.

Mr Van Rompuy said the European Union shared Mr Xi’s advocacy, at a time when the West was confronted with terrorism, populism and isolationism.

China and the European Union are strategic partners, Mr Van Rompuy said, but that does not mean they cannot have differences .

“In this pure relationship we can explain to each other about any differences we have.”

Mr Van Rompuy said the European Union is the world’s biggest open economy, and he is convinced that its recent move to unify the investment screening system at the European level is not aimed at China.

“Our position is that in order to keep this openness on the global scale, we need this level playing field.

“Otherwise we will lose support for open trade and investment within the European Union, and we need the support of our citizens. This is nothing to do with protectionism, and we don’t target China.”

China is very good at longterm plans, and we hope that this initiative can be very successful in developing bilateral relations.” HERMAN VAN ROMPUY FORMER BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL