Xinhua Headlines: Xi calls for stronger China-EU ties to address challenges, more dialogues on disputes

RIO DE JANEIRO – Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for more concerted efforts to enhance China-Europe relations and address shared challenges amid profound global changes, and urged both sides to resolve economic and trade differences through dialogue.

He made the appeals on Tuesday during meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, an annual meeting that gathers leaders of the world’s major economies to address global issues.

JOINT EFFORTS

Over the past decades, China has maintained sound and stable relations with both Germany and France despite the complex international situation. This has been marked by frequent high-level visits, fruitful practical cooperation in various fields, and close people-to-people exchanges.

During his meeting with Scholz, Xi said the two countries need to consolidate the comprehensive strategic partnership from a long-term and strategic perspective and continue to write cooperative stories of mutual achievement.

China and Germany share highly integrated economic interests, and bilateral cooperation is an opportunity for shared development and common future, Xi said, noting that China regards Germany as an important partner in advancing Chinese modernization, and will continue to provide broad market opportunities for German companies.

While meeting Macron, the Chinese president recalled his visit to France in May, during which the two heads of state outlined a vision for the next 60 years of China-France relations and jointly spoke out on global challenges and hotspot issues, leaving a wide and positive impact on the international arena.

China-France relations are of unique strategic significance and global influence, and the new round of reform and opening-up process in China will create fresh opportunities for China-France cooperation and broaden the scope for practical cooperation between the two nations, he noted.

Currently, the international community is faced with mixed and severe challenges, including rising protectionism and unilateralism, climate change, and escalating regional conflicts.

Addressing these concerns, Xi emphasized the importance of sustained China-EU cooperation and the crucial roles of Germany and France in the process.

He told the German chancellor that China regards Europe as an important pole in a multi-polar world, and is committed to cooperating with Europe to jointly meet challenges and promote the sustained, steady and sound development of China-EU relations.

Xi also said China and France, both major countries, share common responsibilities to lead the international community to unite in efforts to address global challenges at a time when many new changes are unfolding in the international landscape.

He called on Beijing and Paris to deepen strategic communication, strengthen mutual support, maintain a momentum of steady and positive development of bilateral relations, and make greater contribution to the sound development of China-Europe relations and world peace and stability.

In response, Macron said that the world today is full of instabilities and uncertainties, and France upholds strategic autonomy and is willing to engage in dialogue and cooperation with China, maintain a sound and steady development of bilateral economic and trade relations, and strengthen cooperation in climate change, global AI governance and other fields.

SOLVE TRADE DISPUTES VIA TALKS

At his meeting with Scholz, Xi raised the issue of the EU’s tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), a major hotspot trade issue between the two sides, and asked the German leader to help resolve the dispute.

The EU’s tariffs on Chinese EVs are drawing attention around the world, and China always insists on resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, Xi said.

By Xinhua