second, we should take bilateral investment onto the "fast track". investment cooperation is the manifestation69 of the strategic nature of china-eu relations. china and europe should seize the favorable opportunities, build on the strong momentum of investment growth, and support their companies in expanding investment in such areas as industrial development and industrial parks. the early conclusion of a china-europe investment agreement will provide strong guarantee for mutual investment. the two sides need to speed up the negotiation70 process and work for early outcomes. we hope that the european side will create a more equitable71 and transparent72 business environment for chinese companies investing in europe, and provide china with more facilitations on market access, entry visa, work permit and other issues. china and europe may also work together to explore market opportunities in third countries through joint55 investment and other means in order to deliver benefits to all sides.
third, we should explore the "deep ocean" of cooperation on innovation. china and europe are both committed to conducting structural reform and upgrading economic structure. this has provided new opportunities for us to expand cooperation in new technologies, new industries and new sectors73. when i visited europe in XX, the two sides launched themechanism74 of urbanization cooperation. this is an area where a lot could be achieved through cooperation on both the "hardware" and the "software" aspects. in the area of green economy, europe has advantages while china has the market. we believe the two sides may jointly develop a group of demonstration75 zones on circular economy, energy conservation and environmental protection in order to maximize the catalytic and multiplying effect of our cooperation. the two sides may also make a joint effort to advance medium- to long-term cooperation in aviation and space, and strengthen cooperation in the operation, maintenance and management of rail transport systems.
people-to-people exchanges, like a decoder, serves to dispel76 misgivings77 and forge closer bonds between people's hearts. i know that there is a food process engineer in the rheinland-pfalz state of germany, who has visited china more than 250 times in the past thirty years and more. he has brought to china the technologies he knows, offered donations to areas hit by earthquakes, and provided funding support for school drop-outs. this friend of china called himself an "85% chinese". his story is a perfect showcase andepitome78 of china-germany and china-europe friendship. now, more than five million people travel between china and europe each year, and nearly 300,000 students are studying in each other's countries. we need to further strengthen exchanges in education, science and technology, culture, sports and other fields, encourage cooperation between our cultural industries and in areas of products and services, and expand personnel exchanges, especially the interactions between our young people, so as to lay a deeper and stronger foundation for china-eu relations.
ladies and gentlemen,
china-germany relations have always been at the forefront of china-eu relations. on this very day 42 years ago, china established diplomatic relations with the federal republic of germany. today, this relationship has become much more mature. during my visit this time, the two sides have issued the program of action for china-germany cooperation, which includes specific plans and measures for advancing bilateral cooperation in various areas over the medium and longer terms. we are ready to continue to work with the german side to take this relationship to a new height.
the hamburg summit has entered its tenth year. over the past decade, the summit has made contribution to the growth of china's relations with germany and with europe as a whole, and our friends present have also provided valuable insights for enhancing practical cooperation between the two sides. i wish to take this opportunity to express my thanks to you all. the summit is a place where we can gain new inspirations through the exchange of ideas. the germans often say, "faith can move mountains." and back in china, we have a similar story about a "foolish old man" who is determined79 to remove mountains that block his way. in a world of both opportunities and challenges, faith in openness and in cooperation could help us overcome the distance of mountains and oceans and embark80 on a journey toward mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
to conclude, i wish the summit a full success. thank you.
