No matter how the international landscape evolves, cooperation should be the keynote and partnership the correct definition of China-European Union relations, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday.
Li co-chaired 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.
Speaking at the meeting, Li 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.
Li said China stands ready to work with the EU to step up strategic communication, and make sure China-EU relations will become more stable and constructive, deliver more mutual benefit and contribute more globally.
China and the EU have extensive common interests and no fundamental conflict, Li said.
In this changing and turbulent international situation, it is all the more important for China and the EU to engage in close cooperation, Li said, adding that China is willing to make joint efforts with the EU to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, green development, sci-tech and other fields, keep industrial and supply chains stable, and properly address differences and frictions through dialogue and consultation.
China hopes that the EU will uphold market principles and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the EU, said Li, calling on the two sides to further enhance multilateral coordination, uphold multilateralism and free trade, and safeguard international fairness and justice as well as global economic and trade order.
Costa and von der Leyen said that EU-China cooperation is crucial to world prosperity and stability, noting that EU is committed to developing and deepening a long-term and stable partnership with China.
They said EU is ready to work together with China to enhance dialogue and communication, increase mutual understanding, properly address each other's concerns, promote cooperation in fields including trade and investment, maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, tackle global challenges, support the World Trade Organization in playing a core role in international economic and trade relations, and safeguard multilateralism.
After the summit, the two sides issued a joint statement on climate change.
Cooperation should be keynote of China-EU relations: Chinese premier
