The visits by the Spanish and Norwegian leaders to China recently sent out positive signals of China's relationship with European countries in spite of current challenges between the two sides, said an expert on international relations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday met separately with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Beijing, underscoring the joint efforts between China and the European countries to address challenges amid differences, Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
Sanchez arrived in Beijing on Sunday to start his official visit to China.
He described this visit a fruitful one at a press conference before he wrapped up his four-day visit, as the two countries signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of economy, culture, education, science and technology during his visit.
The European Commission announced on July 4 its decision to impose provisional countervailing duties, ranging from 17.4 percent to 37.6 percent, on imports of battery electric vehicles from China starting July 5.
Sanchez said at the press conference that Spain is reconsidering its position on the issue.
"I have to be blunt and frank, I think that we need to reconsider, all of us, not only member states but also the (European) Commission, our position towards this movement. As I said before, we don't need another war, in this case a trade war. I think that we need to bring bridges between the European Union and China, and from Spain what we will do is to be constructive and try to find a solution, a compromise between China and the European Commission," he said. As a non-EU member state, Norway is currently one of the countries with the highest proportion of new energy vehicle sales in Europe, and a number of Norwegian officials have said that they will not follow the EU to increase tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
During his visit to China, Store said Norway will not unilaterally impose sanctions on Chinese electric vehicles.
On his first day in China on Monday, Store attended a reception to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Norway.
"My visit is not about looking back at 70 years, it's really looking forward. This is a vibrant relationship and I'm very happy that we are optimistic and pushing forward for what will follow in the years to come," he said.
During Store's visit, the two countries issued a joint statement on the establishment of Dialogue on the Green Transition, and witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents on green and low-carbon development.
During Sanchez's visit in Shanghai on Tuesday, the prime minister led a delegation of Spanish entrepreneurs to visit Envision Energy, a global leader in green technology, where he explored cutting-edge hydrogen technologies and latest industry trends at the company's "Cloud Center."
He also witness the Spanish government signing a cooperation agreement with the company on building a zero-carbon hydrogen industrial park in Spain to support Spain's and Europe's efforts towards carbon neutrality and the development of a new green industrial system locally.
"These investments go farther than creating quality jobs, which is of course always important, new technology or even new infrastructure. It's about forging the path towards a cleaner, more sustainable and more resilient energy future for Spain and for the world," Sanchez said. "China is a leader in the green transition with new technologies. Norway and China will go to the next UN climate conference, the COP29, where we will cooperate to make that a success on the road to cutting emissions in accordance with our obligations," Store said at the reception.
Cui believes that the two European leaders' visits to China have released a series of positive signals.
"Against the backdrop of the current new situation and environment, it is the common aspiration of both sides to develop China-Europe relations on a stable basis. We can see that the leaders of the two countries have expressed their willingness to further strengthen cooperation, dialogue and exchanges with China. On the other hand, we can see that China-Europe relations are facing some problems and challenges. For example, the European Union is now discussing whether to impose tariffs on electric vehicles made in China. So during these visits, we have seen leaders of the two countries have expressed to varying degrees their desires to strengthen cooperation with China in green transition and other emerging areas. Even Spain, which had previously taken a relatively wavering stance, has now stated that it needs to reconsider its position," he said.
"Therefore, I think the visits of the two European leaders to China send out positive signals that China and the European side have the willingness and ability to jointly solve some of the problems we face. I think as long as China and the European side continue to adhere to the direction of win-win cooperation and the positioning of strategic partnership, continue to adhere to the basic understanding that cooperation overweighs competition and consensus overweighs differences, China's relations with Norway, Spain, and other European countries, will continue to move forward on a stable basis in the future," Cui said.
Spanish, Norwegian leaders' visits to China send positive signals of cooperation: expert
Spanish, Norwegian leaders' visits to China send positive signals of cooperation: expert
Spanish, Norwegian leaders' visits to China send positive signals of cooperation: expert
