On Thursday, the Premier of China urged for a deepened partnership between China and the European Union (EU) during the 25th China-EU Summit that took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The meeting was jointly chaired by Li alongside Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, and Antonio Costa, who is the European Council President, as both parties marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
“No matter how the international landscape evolves, cooperation should be the keynote and partnership the correct definition of China-EU relations,” the Chinese Premier stated. Li highlighted that China-EU ties have marked consistent development and significant results. China, he said, will continue working with the EU to boost strategic engagement and high-level exchanges to form a steady, innovative, and reciprocal partnership of global importance.
The Chinese Premier noted the significance of mutual respect and openness, claiming that cooperation will be advantageous to both sides, while disruption would hinder both. “History has demonstrated time and again that when there is mutual respect, mutual understanding, and mutual openness, China-EU cooperation runs smoothly and benefits both; when there is estrangement and disruption in their relations, cooperation stalls and both sides are hurt.”
Li underscored China’s hope to improve its economic and trade cooperation whilst highlighting shared interests and the absence of fundamental conflict. He proposed deeper relations in sectors like trade and investment, as well as in new fields like artificial intelligence, digital economy, and green development. He also proposed the growth of an ‘upgraded version’ of the China-EU export control dialogue mechanism to ensure industrial and supply chain stability. Emphasis on carefully managing conflicts through communication and cooperation was also made.
Li urged the EU to “adhere to market principles and provide a fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese enterprises investing in Europe.”
In the face of global uncertainties, the Chinese Premier called attention to China and the EU as key global markets and forces, sharing a responsibility to work together. “This is not only a natural choice for their respective development, but also aligns with the expectation of the international community,” he said. “As long as China and the EU earnestly uphold free trade, the international economy and trade will stay dynamic. As long as both of them firmly practice multilateralism, the trend towards a multipolar world will continue to strengthen.”
Li also urged shared efforts to promote multilateralism and to withstand unilateralism. He pointed out the importance of upholding the United Nations’ key role in global governance and supporting reforms of the World Trade Organization to sustain justice, fairness, and a steady global economic order.
European leaders concurred with the views. Both Costa and von der Leyen acknowledged the global importance of the EU-China ties and the positive influence of five decades of cooperation. They reiterated the EU’s dedication to maintaining a long-term, stable relationship with China and emphasized the essence of strengthening communication to highlight mutual concerns.
As described by von der Leyen, the partnership between China and the EU, as “two of the world’s economic and trading giants,” impacts not only their internal prosperity and protection but also global stability. She stressed the importance of establishing “beneficial” engagement, beginning with trade.
President Costa called for China to use “its influence as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to bring an end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” He also voiced concern over the trade imbalance that’s growing, stating, “EU-China trade has grown increasingly one-sided, and this is not sustainable. It is in our mutual interest that our trade relations are balanced and fair to benefit current and future generations.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping had earlier proposed to deepen relations between China and the EU through mutual respect, openness, cooperation, and a shared commitment to multilateralism.
Annual trade between China and the EU exceeds $860 billion, highlighting the scale and significance of their economic partnership. Following the summit, both parties issued a shared statement on climate change, bolstering their intent to team up on global challenges such as environmental protection and viable growth.
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