On December 17, Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, met with Ambassador of Austria to China Wolf Dietrich Heim in Chengdu.

During the meeting, Wang Xiaohui, on behalf of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Sichuan Province, extended a welcome to Wolf Dietrich Heim and his delegation for their visit to Sichuan and briefly introduced the province's economic and social development. He stated that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Alexander Van der Bellen, the China-Austria friendly strategic partnership has continued to deepen, and practical cooperation between the two countries has steadily advanced. This has created favorable opportunities for Sichuan and Austria to strengthen exchanges and cooperation. Especially since the establishment of the Consulate General of the Republic of Austria in Chengdu, China-Europe Railway Express service and direct flights have been launched between Sichuan and Austria. The two sides have achieved remarkable progress in cooperation across various fields, including giant panda conservation, sister-city partnerships, economic and trade exchanges, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria, as well as the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period. We will earnestly implement the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, share with Austria the new opportunities arising from Sichuan's modernization efforts, further deepen our traditional friendship, consolidate the existing foundation of cooperation, and explore new areas for collaboration. It is hoped that the Austrian diplomatic and consular missions in China will fully leverage their bridging role to promote more practical outcomes in Sichuan-Austria cooperation. Together, we contribute to the steady advancement of the China-Austria friendly strategic partnership to new heights.

Wolf Dietrich Heim expressed admiration for Sichuan's achievements in economic and social development. He stated that Austria attaches great importance to its relations with China, and the bilateral relations continue to develop positively. Sichuan is a major province in western China and maintains close exchanges with Austria. The two sides share strong complementarities and significant potential for cooperation. Austria is willing to actively facilitate deeper collaboration between the two sides in areas such as economy and trade, culture and tourism, and sustainable development, aiming to better achieve win-win results and bring greater benefits to the two peoples.

Also present were provincial leaders Chen Wei and Tian Qingying, Consul General of Austria in Chengdu Günther Lazelsberger, and leading officials from relevant provincial departments, among others.