The combo photo taken on March 30, 2014 shows President Xi Jinping (3rd R, front), his wife Peng Liyuan (4th R, front), Belgian King Philippe (2nd R, front), Queen Mathilde (front R) and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (5th R, front) visiting the panda house at the Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette, Belgium. [Photo/Xinhua]

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In the Belgian city of Brugelette lies the largest Chinese garden in Europe. Dotted by ponds, pavilions, temples, bridges and bamboo groves, the garden offers visitors a quick tour of China and promises them a chance meeting with giant pandas.

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Occupying 4.5 hectares and home to five giant pandas, the garden is part of Pairi Daiza zoo and botanical garden. Eric Domb, the zoo"s founder and CEO, started to build the garden in 2005 as his dream of China.

"I do it because I love to do it. I love the (Chinese) garden. I love Chinese culture. I love my (Chinese) friends. It"s my pleasure," said Domb, who has visited China 25 times and is planning yet another trip in August.

Domb has been fascinated by Chinese culture and inventions since his childhood, when his parents displayed Chinese porcelain and Tang Dynasty (618-907) sculptures in their home. He also developed a strong appreciation for Chinese silk and tea culture. And, he fell in love with Chinese food — from jellyfish dishes to fermented tofu.

He said his connection with China and its people is so deep that it almost feels like he has "Chinese blood from my ancestors". He added that he doesn"t feel the same connection with people from other countries.

A couple of weeks ago, Domb wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping recalling his fond memory of Xi"s visit to the zoo on March 30, 2014. He shared messages about and photos of the magnolia tree Xi planted that day in the Chinese garden. During a state visit to Belgium, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan toured the zoo, accompanied by Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, and attended the inauguration of the garden.

Domb never expected to receive a reply letter from Xi so soon. "It was a beautiful surprise," he told China Daily on Tuesday after Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming hand-delivered Xi"s letter to him that afternoon.

The zoo founder said he wrote the letter to keep Xi updated about the magnolia tree that the Chinese president had planted in the garden. "I sent pictures of how beautiful this tree has become, full of flowers. ... I wanted to remind (him) of that beautiful day in 2014." Domb compared the magnolia tree to friendship, and said when one takes care of friendship, it becomes more beautiful.

In his reply letter, Xi recalled his visit in 2014, saying he is glad to learn that the magnolia tree he planted has blossomed and two of the giant pandas, seen as China"s "friendship envoys", are also growing up.

Pairi Daiza had received its first pair of giant pandas, Xing Hui and Hao Hao, in February 2014, a month before Xi"s visit. Two years after their arrival, the bear pair had a male cub, Tian Bao, on June 2, 2016. It was the first giant panda born in Belgium. On Aug 8, 2019, the panda parents had twins — male Bao Di and female Bao Mei.

Domb found it "touching" that Xi remembered the garden so well even after these years, and was impressed by Xi"s words on harmony between people and nature. "He (Xi) carries this vision in his heart — this vision of the beautiful harmony of human and nature."

Dimitri de Boer, regional director of programs for Asia at environmental law organization ClientEarth, said that behind the Chinese president"s decision to reply to the founder of a zoo in Belgium was the desire to reassure the international community of China"s green commitments, including climate action and biological protection.

"Xi has underscored the need for international cooperation and people-to-people exchanges to step up green and low-carbon development. The global green transition will be smoother on the basis of robust and peaceful ties among people of different regions," he said.

The letter is also an acknowledgment of the positive cooperation between China and the European Union on addressing global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, he added.

Erik Solheim, former undersecretary-general of the United Nations, said in a recent speech that China is now "a global leader for green development" after all the measures it has put in place in building new national parks, planting trees, developing green cities and protecting mangroves.

China has now "moved from the back seat to the front seat when it comes to global leadership for the environment", Solheim said, adding that China is now developing the largest national park system in the world, and it is also the world"s largest planter of trees.