China-EU cooperation can counter global uncertainty

With the world facing multiple uncertainties and new challenges, closer and stronger ties between China and European countries cater not only to their mutual interests but also benefit the world at large.

Premier Li Keqiang's ongoing visit to Germany and Belgium, though planned earlier, came just days after US President Donald Trump's first upsetting-of-the-apple-cart visit to Europe, which prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say that Europe can no longer fully rely on others.

In contrast, during their meeting in Berlin on Wednesday, Li and Merkel time and again emphasized the importance of bilateral ties and vowed to accelerate the synergy of their countries' respective economic strategies.

Such determination to continue to nourish the tree of friendship and enrich and expand pragmatic, reciprocal cooperation will not only contribute to their respective development needs but also help to shore up global confidence that it is not just every country for itself, as Trump keeps implying.

Thanks to their mutual efforts in deepening political trust and expanding all-round cooperation, Sino-German ties have become the most profound and the most reliable nation-to-nation ties among China's relations with European countries.

And as the world's two most predictable and most stable forces, China and Germany are acting as confidence boosters and rallying others to the causes of global economic development and stability.

Sharing broad common interests and similar stances on important regional and international issues, the two are increasingly looked to for leadership in shoring up the open economy, free trade and investment.

And in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, it is a natural choice for China and the EU to work together to deepen mutual trust, fend off protectionism and unlock the development potential of their relations.

Li is scheduled to meet EU leaders in Brussels on Friday, and the two sides are expected to discuss ways to maintain the good momentum that has been achieved in bilateral cooperation in traditional economic and trade fields while also vigorously promoting greater cooperation in new areas such as infrastructure, finance and the digital economy.

And as the United States is poised to withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change, which will send the message that it's putting its own interests first and the devil take the hindmost, Li and the EU leaders are expected to issue a joint declaration on combating climate change on Friday, consolidating the consensus of the rest of the international community that common interests take precedence and outweigh any differences.