The future of the relationship with China will depend 100% on how well Romania will know what to do to get ready for it, says Gabriel Ghelmegeanu, the president of the Romanian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
In a visit of the Romanian authorities in China, which took place in August, Romanian officials have proposed five major investment projects, which will be executed in the form of public private partnerships: reactors number 3 and 4 of Cernavodă, the Danube-Bucharest Canal, the Bucharest ring road, the plant of Tarniţa - Lăpuşteşti and the Siret-Bărăgan canal.
On this occasion, the Minister of the Economy, Ion Ariton, said that the Chinese partners have expressed their interest in buying the stake that the Romanian state owns in "Transelectrica", which will be floated on the stock market later this year, as well as in investing in the mining sector. Prime minister Emil Boc also said that Romania wants to strengthen its relationships with China, including by reviewing the possibility of creating a new direct Bucharest - Beijing flight and by opening branches of the National Bank of China in Romania.
Mr. Gabriel Ghelmegeanu graciously awarded us an interview discussing the relations between Romania and China, as well as the state of the Chinese economy.
Reporter: Dear Mr. Gabriel Ghelmegeanu, what is your review on the visit of the Romanian authorities in China?
Gabriel Ghelmegeanu: The delegation led by PM Emil Boc, which visited China, presented about 11-12 projects during its visit, of which about five took precedence over the others. What matters now is how dependable the Romanian authorities are going to be and how they plan going to prepare the backing of these five projects, considering that they want China to provide the funding for them.
Reporter: How viable would a Bucharest - Beijing flight be?
Gabriel Ghelm
