Dear Mayor of Chongqing Municipal People's Government, Mr. Huang Qifan

Dear Global Executive Chairman of the APCEO, Mr. Zheng Xiongwei

Ladies and Gentlemen, Leaders & Heads from the whole world

To start with, I would like to thank you for inviting me to the 19th Chongqing International Investment Summit & the Global Sourcing Fair (CCISF 2016) in China. It's a great honor and pleasure to share this « Belt & Road & Global Cooperation » event with all of you.

This new international summit is a good opportunity to emphasize China-France Relations. To illustrate one of the great achievements of the New Silk Road Program launched by Mr. President Xi Jinping, I would like to speak about the first freight train linking Wuhan (Central China) to Lyons (South-East of France) which few days ago (on April 21st) arrived at the Saint-Priest Railway Station. A direct freight train leaving Wuhan on April 6th full of mechanical and electronic products crossing through China, Kazakstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany before reaching France. It took only 16 days to cover 11,300 kilometers by train instead of 50 or 60 days by sea. In return, cars, wine and agricultural produce will be exported from France to China via that train.

Thanks to the new Silk Road and the Belt & Road Initiative the train is expected to become a great means of transport to promote economic cooperation between our two countries and all Eurasian countries.

Seven Chinese towns including Chongqing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Changsha and Shenyang already have some rail freight services to Europe. International commercial relations between France and China are at their peak.

When I think that 50 years ago, France was the first Western major country to build diplomatic relations with China : I say «Thank you Mr. President Charles de Gaulle. Yes, you were right. China is a very ancient and unique civilization. Thanks to Mr. President François Hollande, Mr. Zheng Xiongwei and all the Government's members of the Central Government, my work of Art for Peace 'La Maison-Echelle de Marlène' was exhibited in China to celebrate the 50 th Anniversary of China-France Ties ! »

I am very happy and proud to be a « Maison-Echelle », to be a kind of link between both countries as I am the Artist for Peace and the APCEO artist and as my work of Art and my Art concept and philosophy « La Maison-Echelle » symbolize a Human Being [the house = Maison] meeting people, building a link, a road, a « ladder » [ladder = Echelle], the ladder joining even the most opposite points and enabling the Human Being's mind to keep on growing and creating links internally and externally.

In 1964, France started exchanges with China for an amount of one hundred million dollars. Nowadays, that bilateral trade is over fifty billion dollars. It is a real strategic partnership including aircraft, airports, tourism, nuclear and sustainable energy, green technology, biotechnology, environmental regulations, and even financial services, increasing winwin exchanges and cooperation.

The French Prime Minister Mr. Manuel Valls says : « I would like to welcome China's commitment in France».

I would also like to say : « Chinese Investment is welcome in my life, in my artistic life to improve my means of communication and thus further promote the Silk Road via my works of Art: 'La Maison-Echelle'. »