Cooperation should be keynote of China-EU relations: Chinese premier

BEIJING -- No matter how the international landscape evolves, cooperation should be the keynote and partnership the correct definition of China-EU relations, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday.

Li made the remarks when co-chairing the 25th China-EU Summit with President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

He noted that, over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-EU relations have shown steady overall development and yielded fruitful outcomes.

China will continue to work with the EU to give play to the guidance role of high-level exchanges and strengthen strategic communication to foster a bilateral relationship that is increasingly stable, constructive, reciprocal, and globally important, Li said.

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 said.

China and the EU have extensive common interests and no fundamental conflict, he said.

China hopes for upgraded economic and trade cooperation with the EU, with consolidated and deepened cooperation in traditional areas such as trade and investment, and expanded cooperation in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, and green development to achieve more results, he said.

Both sides can forge an "upgraded version" of the China-EU export control dialogue mechanism to ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains between China and Europe. They should also properly handle disputes and frictions through dialogues, consultation, and deepened cooperation, Li said.

He called on the EU to adhere to market principles and provide a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese enterprises investing in Europe.

In this changing and turbulent international situation, it is all the more important for China and the EU, the world's two major forces and two major markets, to engage in close cooperation, he said, adding that this is not only a natural choice for their respective development, but also aligns with the expectation of the international community.

As long as both 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, the premier said.

Both sides should jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, resist unilateralism and protectionism, firmly support the United Nations' core status in global governance, support the reform and development of the World Trade Organization, defend international fairness and justice as well as the global economic and trade order, and jointly promote world peace, stability and prosperity, Li added.

Costa and von der Leyen said the EU and China are important economies in the world, and bilateral cooperation has an impact on global prosperity and stability.

Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the EU and China have witnessed increasingly close exchanges in economy, trade, culture and other fields, bringing benefits to the people of both sides, according to them.

Affirming the EU's commitment to developing a long-term stable partnership with China, they said the EU is willing to strengthen dialogue and communication with China, enhance mutual understanding, and properly address each other's concerns.

They said the EU stands ready to enhance cooperation with China in trade, investment and export control, jointly maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, and contribute more to each other's development.

The EU is willing to work with China to address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity protection, support the World Trade Organization in playing a central role in international economic and trade relations, and jointly maintain multilateralism, according to the EU leaders.

A joint statement on climate change by Chinese and EU leaders was issued after the summit.