Chinese premier says China to stay committed to partnership with EU

DAVOS -- China stands ready to work with the European Union (EU) to stay committed to partnership, stick to dialogue and cooperation, pursue mutual benefit and win-win results, and properly handle differences under the principle of mutual understanding and respect, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Tuesday.

In today's world that is fraught with changes and turbulence, China-EU ties remain stable among major-country relationships, which is a result of joint efforts from both sides, Li said when meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping noted, China-EU ties bear strategic significance and global influence, Li said, adding that deepening relations with the EU is always a diplomatic priority for China.

China is willing to work with the EU to implement the important consensus reached in the China-EU Summit, and make bilateral ties more stable, constructive, reciprocal and global, so as to better promote the prosperity and development of China, the EU and the larger world, he said.

China stands ready to import more products from the EU that align with market demand, and hopes the EU will relax export restrictions on high-tech products to China, he said, adding that it is hoped that the two sides will work together in the same direction to push for more balanced development in bilateral trade.

The Chinese premier noted that China will continue to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, and is willing to work with the EU to jointly abide by the basic norms governing market economy such as free trade, fair competition and open cooperation.

It is hoped that the EU will uphold justice, compliance and transparency in economic and trade matters, treat Chinese enterprises fairly, and prudently introduce restrictive economic and trade policies and deploy trade remedies, Li said.

He called on the two sides to take the next meeting of the China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue mechanism as an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in education, science and technology, culture and tourism, and accelerate the resumption of personnel exchanges, so as to inject new vitality into China-EU relations.

For her part, von der Leyen said the EU appreciates China's continuous opening up and does not intend to decouple from China.

She said the EU is ready to strengthen dialogue and communication with China and work with China to deepen cooperation in tackling climate change and promoting the reform of the World Trade Organization, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and push for further development of EU-China relations.