In the crucible of change
Forging greater consensus between China and the EU can help safeguard global structure and the prosperity of the Eurasian continent
China and the European Union are embracing a warmer relationship. Following visits by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also set to visit China. The leaders of China and the EU have held frequent meetings recently, showing to the world the desire of both sides to strengthen friendly cooperation and promote the development of bilateral relations.
It is the correct strategic choice and the common expectation of the international community for the two sides to uphold a correct understanding of each other, deepen open cooperation and jointly respond to challenges.
China-EU relations are built on a solid foundation. As the world's two major forces, markets and civilizations, China and the EU have withstood the test of times in their decades-long bilateral relations. Their relations have demonstrated strong resilience and potential based on a solid foundation of generally favorable public opinion, broad common interests and similar strategic demands. As President Xi Jinping has said, there are no fundamental strategic differences or conflicts between China and the EU. Their cooperation far outweighs competition, and their consensuses are far greater than their differences. This has also been my deepest feeling of China-EU relations since I took office four months ago, and it is also the general consensus of people with insight in Europe. Recently, European Council President Charles Michel, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and other European leaders have expressed their wishes to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China. This has been more than encouraging to me, and I am full of confidence for the future of China-Europe relations.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. After I took office, one message I have kept extending to the EU side on various occasions is that China always views and develops China-EU relations from a strategic and long-term perspective despite all the changes taking place in the international landscape. China will always regard the EU as a comprehensive strategic partner, and take dialogue and cooperation as the overarching trend in bilateral ties. Although China-EU relations have encountered some headwinds in recent years, history has proved that as long as the two sides stick to the positioning of bilateral relations as a partnership, maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic communication and properly manage and control their differences, this relationship can always be kept on the right track and continue to see sound, concrete and long-term growth.
China-EU cooperation enjoys broad prospects. After years of development, China and the EU have developed a strong economic interdependence, with mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation now the ballast for bilateral relations. The two sides, as key development partners to each other, are highly complementary in their markets, capital and technology, and share great potential for cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital economy, green transition, environmental protection, new energy and artificial intelligence. In recent years, trade between China and the EU has overcome the challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained steady growth. Two-way trade exceeds 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion) on a daily basis, and China and the EU are now each other's second-largest trading partner. After the China-EU geographical indications agreement was signed in 2020, the two sides have achieved mutual recognition and protection of 244 products, with the publishing of a second batch of 350 mutually recognized products also completed. This is a vivid example of the win-win and pragmatic cooperation between the two sides.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was successfully held in October last year, conveying a key message that China's domestic and foreign policies will maintain continuity and stability for a long time. The first sessions of the 14th National People's Congress and the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held last month also sent positive signals that China will deepen reform, promote high-level opening-up, and strengthen international cooperation. New opportunities for higher-quality, higher-level cooperation are emerging. Some people from the European business community recently told me that they are optimistic about China's growth potential and are willing to further explore opportunities from China-EU cooperation. I always believe that cooperation is the overarching trend for bilateral relations. For both China and the EU, properly handling differences and continuing to deepen cooperation will help promote their respective development, ensure stable and unimpeded global industry chains and unimpeded supply chains, promote the post-pandemic recovery of the world economy, and benefit the two peoples and the world.
It is also in the interests of the world that China and the EU work together. The two sides are both staunch defenders of multilateralism and committed to maintaining the international system with the United Nations at its core and they advocate a joint response to global challenges. The global implications for China-EU relations will be even more prominent with the international landscape becoming more turbulent and global challenges even greater. China and the EU have carried out fruitful cooperation in many fields such as climate change, biodiversity, the Iranian nuclear issue and arms control. At a critical juncture when the world is faced with intertwined turmoil, and mankind once again standing at a historical crossroads, China is willing to strengthen international coordination and cooperation with the EU and work together to play a leading role in upholding multilateralism, strengthening global governance and responding to global challenges to jointly promote world peace and development.
Europe is suffering from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Chinese side has repeatedly stressed that the Ukraine issue has a complicated historical background, and the top priority at the moment is to secure a cease-fire and stop the loss of lives as soon as possible. China has always adhered to an objective and fair position and worked proactively to advocate peace talks. China will continue to maintain communication with all parties in accordance with the 12 points elaborated in China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, work hard to promote peace and talks, and play a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and resolving the crisis. At the same time, China will continue to firmly support the strategic autonomy of Europe, and advocate the formation of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations, so as to truly achieve long-term peace and stability on the European continent.
There is a proverb in Europe that goes: One person's hard work is a process of addition, and teamwork is a process of multiplication. China and Europe are partners instead of rivals, and present each other opportunities rather than threats. China-EU relations are related to the stability of the global structure and the prosperity of the Eurasian continent. It is worthy of efforts from both sides to maintain and grow this relationship. I sincerely hope that the leaders of China and the EU will reach more important consensus during their meetings, which will energize the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and bring more warmth to the turbulent international landscape.
The author is head of the Chinese mission to the European Union. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
