Volvo plant shows Xi 300,000th car to China

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President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan joined King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium on Tuesday for a visit to the Volvo Car Group facilities in Ghent, a city in northwest Belgium.

During their visit to the plant, the two couples were treated to a show of highlights from the Volvo product range: from the first-ever Volvo car, the V4 "Jakob", to current models and technologies like a Volvo plug-in hybrid and Ghent-produced models including one with a pedestrian airbag.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Michael Ning, vice-president of Volvo Cars China, who also was present, said a red Volvo car model was presented as a gift to each of the couples.

"We are very excited about Xi's visit and have been discussing how to receive him and his wife, Peng Liyuan, as well as the king and queen. The president witnessed the marking of Volvo's 5.5 millionth production in Ghent, and it also was the 300,000th car by Volvo for the China market," Ning said.

Volvo is a good showcase for China's cooperation with Europe, Ning said. It is a Swedish brand,a Chinese-owned company and has its presence in Belgium, he added.

According to the company, Volvo Cars is the third-largest industrial company in Belgium and employs about 5,000 people. The Ghent factory is Volvo's largest plant in Europe.

"We hope the president will feel at home," Ning said. "Our president will see all the three elements (Swedish, Chinese and Belgian) together making Volvo one of the known luxury car brands around the world."

In 2010, the European company was merged with Chinese auto company Geely Holding Group.Ning described the company's performance as "a very smooth transition from Ford to Geely".

According to Ning, Volvo delivered turnover profit growth in 2013 with global sales amounting to 427,840 vehicles. The company's long-term goal is to sell 800,000 cars a year globally, he added.

Volvo Cars Ghent, established in 1965, is one of the company's two European car plants.

Questions:

1. Who is vice president of Volvo Cars China?

2. Volvo Cars in Belgium employs how many people?

3. In the long-term, how many cars does the company hope to sell annually?

Answers:

1. Michael Ning.

2. About 5,000.

3. 800,000.

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.