China has always regarded Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world, firmly supported European integration, and backed the European Union (EU)'s pursuit of strategic autonomy, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
Xi made the statement at a phone conversation with European Council President Antonio Costa.
The history of China-EU relations demonstrates that as long as both sides uphold mutual respect, treat each other as equals, and engage in candid dialogue, they can advance cooperation and make significant achievements, Xi said.
Those who are like-minded are partners, and those who seek common ground while shelving differences are also partners, Xi said, adding that the key lies in respecting the social systems and development paths chosen by each side's people and honoring each other's core interests and major concerns.
Xi said both sides need to reflect on the development of China-EU relations, draw lessons from past experiences, and work together to uphold the political foundation of bilateral relations, promote sound development of their relationship, so as to bring greater benefits to the people of China and the EU, and inject more stability and certainty into the volatile international landscape.
There exist no clash of fundamental interests or geopolitical conflicts between China and the EU, enabling them to become partners that can contribute to each other's success, according to the Chinese president.
Over the past 50 years, China-EU relations have not only boosted their respective development, but also significantly contributed to world peace and prosperity, Xi said.
Expressing China's confidence in the EU, Xi said that he hopes the EU can also become a trusted partner to China.
Emphasizing mutual complementarity and mutual benefits in economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU, Xi described the two sides as champions of the multilateral trading system with a strong economic symbiotic relationship.
Noting that China remains committed to high-quality development and high-level opening up, Xi said that it will bring new opportunities for China-EU cooperation.
Xi urged bilateral efforts to expand mutual openness, consolidate existing cooperation mechanisms, and explore new areas for growth.
Xi also said that both sides need to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and encourage stronger bilateral engagement at the sub-regional level, thus cementing the public opinion foundation for bilateral friendship.
For his part, Costa said the EU is willing to work with China to properly address economic and trade differences through dialogue and consultation.
The two sides should focus on cooperation rather than competition, he added.
In a time of global challenges, closer cooperation between the EU and China is necessary, Costa said, calling for combined efforts to tackle pressing issues such as climate change and contribute to global peace, stability and development. The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other issues. Xi expounded China's principled position on promoting peace talks.
China supports European integration, EU strategic autonomy: Xi
China supports European integration, EU strategic autonomy: Xi
China's stock market demonstrated robust performance in 2025 with new records in various sectors.
Against the backdrop of global liquidity easing and evolving industrial policies, the A-share market experienced a landmark year. Multiple key metrics - including total market capitalization, trading volume, as well as margin trading and short selling balances - achieved historic breakthroughs, demonstrating remarkable vitality and resilience.
In terms of overall performance, as of Dec. 31, 2025, the total market capitalization of A-shares reached approximately 118.91 trillion yuan, marking a net increase of 25.30 trillion yuan from the year's opening level of 93.61 trillion yuan. This represents a growth rate of 27.03 percent, according to data from financial information provider Wind.
In 2025, major A-share indices extended their annual gains compared to 2024.
On Dec. 31, 2025, the Shanghai Composite Index stood at 3,968.84 points, marking an annual increase of 18.41 percent - the largest annual gain since 2020. The Shenzhen Component Index rose 29.87 percent for the year, while the ChiNext Index surged 49.57 percent. The Beijing Stock Exchange 50 Index recorded an annual gain of 38.80 percent, while the STAR Market 50 Index rose 35.92 percent for the year.
As major indices rose, market trading activity intensified. Throughout 2025, the A-share market recorded a total trading value of approximately 420 trillion yuan, marking a growth of over 60 percent compared to the previous year and nearly doubling the 2023 annual value. It also marked the first time in history that the annual trading value surpassed the 400 trillion yuan threshold.
The margin trading and short selling scale in the A-share market expanded rapidly in 2025. As of the year end, the outstanding margin trading and short selling balance in the A-share market increased by 690.7 billion yuan during the year to reach 2.5 trillion yuan, setting a new historical high.
Notably, the growth in the balance was primarily driven by the increase in the financing balance. Although the short selling balance also increased in 2025, its cumulative growth for the year was less than 10 billion yuan, with the absolute value of the short selling balance remaining at a low level in recent years.
As market sentiment continued to heat up, major sectors in the A-share market saw increases. Key industry sectors rose to varying degrees, with over half posting annual increases exceeding 30 percent.
Boosted by sharp rises in precious metal prices, the nonferrous metals sector delivered standout performance throughout 2025. Defense and military, telecommunications, machinery and equipment, automotive, power equipment, and electronics sectors also ranked among the top annual gainers. Sectors like food and beverages, coal, and banking showed relatively weaker annual performance but still managed modest gains.
Against the backdrop of a broad market rally, individual stocks also rose, with many delivering standout performances. Data indicates that over 4,200 A-shares saw price increases in 2025, accounting for more than three-quarters of the total. Specifically, after excluding newly listed stocks, over 500 A-shares still doubled in value, with more than 100 stocks achieving annual gains exceeding 200 percent.
China's stock market demonstrates strong performance with multiple new records in 2025
