Cooperation with China brings great benefits: former Romanian PM

China

Cooperation with China brings great benefits: former Romanian PM

2026-05-28 19:20 Last Updated At：19:47

Cooperation with China brings great benefits, said former Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, noting that China is not only a major economic power but also a very important global player.

She made the statement in an interview at the 7th Local Leaders' Meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) underway in Jinan, east China’s Shandong Province.

The event has drawn key guests from several Central and Eastern European countries, including Dancila.

Trade between China and Central and Eastern European countries, including Romania, has grown strongly in recent years.

While EU leaders visit China to seek the best possible relations, Brussels continues to push divergent positions with Beijing — a contradiction that Dancila said must be resolved by acknowledging China's role as a major economic and global player.

"I believe that we must start from the existing reality. China is not only a very big economic power, but China is also a very important global player at the moment. And when decisions are made in Brussels, they must take this into account. Because a very good relationship with China would bring great benefits. We see that Brussels decides that there should be certain divergent opinions with China, but at the same time, leaders of European Union member states visit China, and they want to have the best possible relations with China," she said.

The former Prime Minister of Romania recalled her tenure as a time of close Romania-China relations, driven not only by government-level collaboration but also by a personal commitment to people-to-people friendship.

"I think there are many elements in this regard. When I was the Prime Minister of Romania, the period was marked by having some of the best relations with China. The fact that, at that time, ties were very strong at the institutional and governmental levels, brought development to Romania. President Xi Jinping said, friendship must remain in people's hearts. I took this into account, and I tried to make connections between the Romanian and Chinese people," she said.

WMO report forecasts warmest year in next 5 years

Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, according to a report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Thursday.

There is 86 percent chance that one year between 2026 and 2030 will surpass 2024 as the warmest year on record, said the report.

It is very likely (91 percent chance) that the global mean near-surface temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline of 1850–1900 average levels for at least one year between 2026 and 2030.

The level was also temporarily exceeded in 2024, when the global average surface temperature was about 1.55 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline.

The five-year predicted average temperature in the central tropical Pacific indicates a tendency towards El Nino conditions, particularly in 2027 and 2028, said the report.

There is an El Nino predicted for the end of 2026, which increases the chances of the following year, 2027, being the next record-breaking year, according to Dr. Leon Hermanson, the lead author of the report.

The 1.5 degree Celsius levels specified in the Paris Agreement refer to the long-term warming sustained over an extended period, typically assessed over 20 years.

Individual years with annual global mean temperatures exceeding these levels do not mean that the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement are out of reach.

Temporary exceedances are expected to occur with increasing frequency, as the rising trends in global temperature approaches these levels, said the report.