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Bilateral ties with the EU are at a “crucial juncture,” China said on Monday, ahead of an upcoming leaders’ summit in Beijing.
“China and the EU are holding the summit at this time which is of great significance and receives international attention,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference in the capital.
President Xi Jinping will meet EU Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who are visiting to attend the 25th China-EU summit on Thursday. Premier Li Qiang will co-chair the meeting.
Guo said 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties, and that bilateral relations “have grown more mature and stable and become one of the most influential bilateral relations.”
The spokesman said cooperation between Europe and China “greatly contributes to world peace and development, and sets an example of mutually beneficial cooperation in the era of economic globalization.”
He said the bilateral trade volume jumped from $2.4 billion to $785.8 billion, and the two blocs have close to $260 billion investment in each others’ market. Guo also spoke about cooperation conducted in climate response and other areas.
However, he added, that there are some challenges, noting that the EU has “exaggerated economic and trade issues and groundlessly accused China on the Ukraine issue, which causes unnecessary disruptions to bilateral relations.”
He said over the last 50 years, they “have accumulated enough experience and positive energy which enables the two sides to get through difficulties and challenges.”
“As the 25th China-EU summit is around the corner, bilateral relations at a crucial juncture, building on the positive movement and opening up new chapter, China hopes that EU will work with” Beijing, he added.
Earlier this month, von der Leyen said the EU’s approach to relations with China will be “de-risking” rather than “decoupling.”
In response to a media inquiry on the EU’s latest round of sanctions against Russia announced last Friday, which linked some Chinese entities to Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the spokesman said Beijing opposes “unilateral sanctions that have no basis in authorization of UN Security Council.”
“On the Ukraine crisis, China has been committed to promoting peace talks. We never provide lethal weapons planning parties to the conflict,” Guo added, urging the EU to stop harming the “interests of Chinese companies.
On accusations by some European diplomats that China was trying to use 80th anniversary of the UN to “increase its influence over” in the world body and “colonize” it, Guo said: “Both China and EU support multilateralism, openness and cooperation and support UN’s central role and greater democracy in international relations.”
“China stands ready to work with the EU to take the UN’s 80th anniversary as an opportunity to transcend UN’s central role further and enable the UN nations to function as it should and provide confidence and driving force for multilateralism,” he added.
