China, EU celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties in Brussels

Yang Yanyi (left), Ambassador of China to EU, presents a special envelope to Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, in Brussels on May 6, 2015. Photo by Gao Shuang

Senior officials and diplomats from Europe and China jointly celebrated the 40th anniversary of Sino-EU diplomatic ties at the European Union headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday. The event followed the celebrations held in Beijing earlier in the day.

"The future ahead of us is brighter," said China's Ambassador to EU Yang Yanyi at the function co-organized by European External Action Service (EEAS) and Chinese Mission to the European Union.

Yang said China and EU, the two greatest forces for peace, two huge markets and two great civilizations, are committed to doing more to realize their shared aspiration for world peace, stability, development and prosperity in the next four decades and beyond.

She called the ties evolved and matured that "transcend the realm of trade to now cover a wide spectrum", which consists of political-security, economic and social-cultural cooperation beyond the trade relations.

"Despite the divergences between EU and China, we have resolved differences through effective bilateral mechanism for coordination and cooperation," Yang said.

Helga Schmid, deputy secretary-general of EEAS, quoted from the letter European Council President Donald Tusk sent to Chinese President Xi on May 6. "We are now aiming to take our comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level," Schmid said

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang respectively exchanged messages of congratulations with President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

In the congratulatory letter to Xi, Tusk expressed EU's wish to continue working constructively with China on a wide range of fields.

"We are confident that the implementation of the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation will strengthen EU-China exchanges for the benefit of all."

Tusk also said he is looking forward to visiting China soon. He received the invitation from President Xi who gave him a congratulatory call on December 3, 2014, shortly after Tusk took office from his predecessor Van Rompuy.

Yet to meet his counterparts in Beijing before the coming 17th EU-China Summit in Brussels, Tusk's colleague Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice president of European Commission, paid a successful two-day visit to China from May 5 to 6.

During her first official visit to China as the EU's foreign policy chief, Mogherini co-chaired the fifth round of EU-China high-level strategic dialogue with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the eve of the memorial anniversary.

She also met with Premier Li on May 6, with whom she discussed various issues, such as the possible areas to deepen cooperation and other major global issues facing the both parties, for the upcoming summit at the end of June.