EU called on to make right choices

China and the European Union pledged on Thursday to manage their differences positively, and strive to explore paths toward de-escalating trade tensions and reinforcing bilateral cooperation amid geopolitical volatility.

Both sides also vowed to jointly uphold free trade and multilateralism, work together to cope with global challenges such as climate change, and advance the settlement of regional hot-button issues to safeguard world peace and stability.

President Xi Jinping and the EU leaders — European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — made the commitments during their meeting in Beijing.

Premier Li Qiang and the EU leaders co-chaired the 25th China-EU Summit, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

A joint statement on climate change was issued after the summit, with both sides committed to upholding the central role of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and fully and faithfully implementing their goals and their principles.

Xi said over the past 50 years, China and the EU have achieved fruitful outcomes in exchanges and cooperation, delivering mutual success and worldwide benefits.

Highlighting that China and the EU have no fundamental conflicts of interest and the current challenges facing the EU do not come from China, he urged the EU leaders to "make the right strategic choices" that will meet people's expectations and stand the scrutiny of history in the face of the changing and turbulent international situation.

China and the EU, both "big guys" in the international community, should keep their bilateral relationship growing in the right direction, and work together to usher it into an even brighter next 50 years, Xi said.

He expressed the hope that the EU will respect the path and system chosen by the Chinese people, respect China's core interests and major concerns, and support China's development and prosperity.

Noting that China-EU relations are not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party, Xi urged both sides to deepen strategic communication, enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust, and establish correct perceptions about each other.

Xi emphasized that both sides need to properly handle differences and frictions, saying that the bilateral economic and trade relationship, which is by nature complementary and mutually beneficial, can indeed achieve dynamic equilibrium through development.

He called on the EU to keep its trade and investment markets open, refrain from using "restrictive economic and trade tools", and foster a sound business environment for Chinese enterprises investing and operating in the EU.

China and the EU should jointly uphold the international rules and order established after the end of World War II, proactively promote the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system, and support the peaceful resolution of international disputes through political means, Xi said.

Costa said that the EU and China, both major economies in the world, have shared interests in pursuing constructive and stable relations. "We wish to continue to engage with China to tackle global challenges and serve the goals of global peace," he said.

Von der Leyen highlighted the importance of EU-China relations, saying that Europe and China are two of the world's three largest economic and trading powers, and their relationship is one of the most important and consequential in the world.

While emphasizing the EU's commitment to deepening its relations with China, the two EU leaders said that the EU does not seek to decouple from China and welcomes Chinese companies to invest and do business in Europe.

At the China-EU Business Leaders Symposium on Thursday, Chinese and EU business leaders called for enhanced dialogue in market access and fostering a business environment conducive to the development of the enterprises.

While attending the symposium, Premier Li called for closer cooperation between Chinese and European enterprises to share extensive development opportunities.

He said that as the international economic and trade order is facing severe challenges, China-EU cooperation becomes more strategically important. Their collaboration can not only enhance the resilience and vitality of their economies and better cope with external uncertainties, but also play a pivotal role in stabilizing economic globalization and international supply chains, he said.

Li called on both sides to focus on areas such as trade in services, technological innovation, green economy and third-party cooperation to cultivate more growth drivers for bilateral cooperation.

Von der Leyen said at the symposium that the EU wants to have good trade relations with China. "I believe there is an opportunity here to build a more meaningful and more stable partnership with China. We want to move our relationship forward and make it mutually beneficial," she said.

caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn