Daniela Floris, from Italy, is a journalism student at VUB, a university in Brussels. Having spent four years in China, she described the nation’s achievements in lifting more than 700 million people out of poverty during the past four decades as “amazing”.

While in China, Floris traveled to rural Zhejiang province and said “rural areas in China are doing very well”.

“The economy is booming, not only in the cities, but also in the rural areas,” she said. “That is a great achievement.”

And Derek Vaughan, a European Parliament member from the United Kingdom who is vice-chairman of the parliament’s EU-China Friendship Group, agreed.

“We should never forget that each one of those figures is a person, is a family, which becomes better off because of the policy in China,” he said, referencing the numbers that show China’s progress in poverty reduction.“That’s why I think this exhibition is so important.”

Doru-Claudian Frunzulica, who is also a member of the European Parliament, said the exhibition, which aims to share best practices and lessons in achieving sustainable development goals, comes at a good time.

“Sustainable development goals are important for Europe and China as well,” said the Romanian national.

Frunzulica, who is also vice-chairman of the EU-China Friendship Group, said: “What is good for Europe is also good for China, and also what is good for China is good for Europe.”

Zhang Ming, China’s ambassador to the EU, noted that China can learn much from the EU and said they have established an urbanization partnership, and are working together on rural development.

“Such cooperation should continue,” Zhang said.