China ready to work with Europe to expand cooperation: spokesperson

China stands ready to work with Europe to uphold the basic positioning of partnership, properly handle trade and economic differences, cultivate more cooperation agendas, and jointly meet global challenges, a Chinese spokesperson said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), made the remarks at a press conference held one day ahead of the opening of the annual session.

"Last year marked the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties and witnessed frequent high-level exchanges between China and Europe. President Xi Jinping held multiple meetings with European leaders and reached important consensus on strengthening China-Europe partnership, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly meeting global challenges. The pragmatic cooperation Between China and Europe has yielded fruitful results and the people-to-people exchanges between the two sides have become richer and more diverse. It is proven by facts that Europe needs China and China also needs Europe," said Lou.

"The China-Europe economic and trade relations is essentially complementary and mutually beneficial, and cooperation with China is good for Europe's economic development and the well-being of European people. For example, the Central Europe Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone in Hungary serves as a platform for two-way interaction between Chinese and European businesses, and has been elevating Hungary's status as a logistics hub for Europe. The Peljesac cross-sea bridge in Croatia, which is funded by the EU and built by Chinese enterprises, has connected the people across the sea and turned a natural barrier into a smooth road, helping the locals realize their longtime dream," he said.

Lou also listed the examples such as the State Grid Corporation of China's investment in Portugal's national grid operator. By sharing China's expertise and experience in grid operation and management and new energy grid connection, the Chinese investor gave support and assistance to Portugal in its energy transition.

The cooperation between PetroChina and Shell, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies, also serves as a compelling example of a win-win, said Lou.

Likewise, European enterprises investing in China are sharing the dividends of China's high-quality development, Lou said, taking BASF Zhanjiang Verbund site and French pharmaceutical company Sanofi's insulin injection project in Beijing as examples to show that they have not only met the demand of the Chinese market, but also greatly strengthened their own competitiveness on the global stage.

Lou stressed that China and Europe have no fundamental conflict of interests or geopolitical tensions.

"China and Europe have no fundamental conflict of interests or geopolitical tensions. China is ready to work with Europe to uphold the basic positioning of partnership, properly handle trade and economic differences, cultivate more cooperation agenda, and jointly meet global challenges. Last year, the Chinese side and the European Parliament moved in sync to remove the restrictions on their interaction and resumed the mechanism of legislative exchange that had been halted for years. The NPC is ready to strengthen friendly exchanges with the European Parliament and the national parliaments of European countries to increase understanding, build consensus, advance cooperation and contribute to the steady and sustained development of China-Europe relations," he said.

Annual meetings of the NPC, China's highest organ of state power, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, often referred to as "two sessions", are a major event in China's political calendar.

The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will begin on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.

China ready to work with Europe to expand cooperation: spokesperson

China ready to work with Europe to expand cooperation: spokesperson

The Israeli military on Tuesday ordered residents of about 80 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate, triggering a mass exodus along the Tyre-Sidon highway as intensified air strikes drove tens of thousands from their homes.

Vehicles stood bumper to bumper for kilometers, with pickup trucks stacked high with mattresses, blankets and plastic bags inching north as horns blared in restless bursts. The exodus reflected a widening wave of displacement as Israeli strikes pounded border villages.

"I came from the village of Al-Qusaybah. We left at dawn yesterday. We heard the first sound of bombing and left. We came to Al-Zarariya and stayed with people until morning. There were reconnaissance planes above us, then Al-Zarariya was bombed, so we came here. It took us more than 12 hours to reach Sidon. We arrived in Sidon at 00:30. We slept in the car with our young children. In the morning, we searched among the schools and found this one, but there was no room. I asked them, 'Should I stay on the street with my young children? Let this be a temporary place until we find another place. We waited, they registered our names, and welcomed us. May God bless them," said Haidar Haidar, a displaced Lebanese, who founded a school, which serves as a temporary shelter for homeless people in Sidon.

"I come from Jwaya, in the district of Tyre. The problems we have suffered in relation to displacement are heartbreaking, in every sense of the word. Children are sleeping in the streets, the elderly are sick, and the economic situation is dire. The state is aware of this, even without us talking about it. There is economic and commercial exploitation that people cannot bear, and we as a people have not healed from the first wound before the second wound opened. I demand that our prime minister say that we are under the protection of the state and under the protection of the Lebanese authorities, who have not cared about their people or any citizen until now," said Zeinab, another displaced Lebanese.

Wafa Shuayb, Public Relations Officer at Disaster Management Office of Sidon, warned that shelters have reached capacity, with 19 centers already housing more than 7,000 displaced people and no space to open new ones.

"Today, we have approximately 19 centers and no space to open new ones. We have more than 7,000 displaced people in the centers, and we need everything, from basic items such as mattresses, blankets, and hygiene kits to anything that can help people get on with their lives at this stage. We appeal to everyone: those who can provide daily meals from local associations, mattresses and blankets, bathroom maintenance, anything. We need everything at this stage to support everyone, and we appeal to anyone who can help us so that we can continue," she said.

Lebanese disaster management authorities reported Tuesday that 58,064 people have been displaced nationwide amid escalating hostilities with Israel, including 12,539 families. The surge in displacement reflects intensifying air strikes and cross-border fire, which have driven mounting casualties and placed growing strain on emergency response systems.

Thousands flee southern Lebanon as Israel orders evacuations amid escalating strikes