China and the European Union (EU) will convene the 25th China-EU Summit in Beijing, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
Guo made the announcement during a daily news briefing on Monday, where he also outlined China’s expectations for the summit and assessed current China-EU relations.
He noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
Guo described the global environment as undergoing historic transformation, with increasing instability and rapid change in the international landscape.
“Unilateralism and bullying practices are significantly undermining international rule and order, placing humanity at a critical crossroads once again,” he said.
He described China and the EU as “two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets supporting globalisation and two major civilisations championing diversity.”
Guo stated that the 25th China-EU Summit holds major significance and is drawing global attention.
“Over the past half century, China-EU relations have weathered challenges and are now progressing toward maturity and stability, becoming one of the most influential bilateral relationships in the world,” he said.
He said cooperation between both sides has yielded substantial results, contributing significantly to each other’s development and delivering tangible benefits to nearly two billion people in China and the EU.
The relationship, he added, has also supported global peace and development and set an example of mutually beneficial cooperation in the era of globalisation.
Guo highlighted that annual trade between China and the EU has grown from 2.4 billion to 785.8 billion U.S. dollars over the past 50 years, with mutual investment expanding from near zero to nearly 260 billion U.S. dollars. He also noted increasingly frequent people-to-people exchanges.
Guo added that both parties have effectively collaborated on global issues such as climate change.
“However, China-EU relations are also confronted with challenges,” he said.
According to him, some individuals in the EU have exaggerated the ‘partner-competitor-rival’ characterisation of bilateral ties and levelled unfounded allegations against China concerning trade and the Ukraine issue, thereby straining relations.
Guo asserted that China believes the 50-year history of China-EU relations has built a strong foundation to withstand turbulence and confront shared challenges.
“As the 25th China-EU Summit draws near, China-EU relations are at a pivotal point, building on past achievements and opening a new chapter,” he said.
He expressed hope that the EU will engage with China using a comprehensive, dialectical and forward-looking approach, drawing on decades of cooperation to shape the future.
“Also follow the trend of the times, meet the expectations of the two peoples and the international community, pool consensus, rise above differences, jointly plan for the cooperation in the next 50 years,” Guo added.
“It will open up a brighter future for the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.”
(NAN)