Chinese medical supplies for Belgium are unloaded at the Liege Airport in Liege, Belgium, on March 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

China and the Europe Union need each other to promote economic recovery after the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is contained, Chinese industry analysts said on Wednesday.

The comment followed Germany's competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, granting approval for the acquisition of German Vossloh Locomotives by Chinese company China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) on Monday. 

The merger had been halted by the German Ministry of Economy for the fear of Chinese enterprises acquiring German technologies, according to local media reports.

There exist "mutual needs" between China and Europe to get rid of the coronavirus assault and revive their economies. Chinese people are always friendly to European countries and China does not pose a threat to Europe, said Bai Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce's International Market Research Institute.

"Fair competition between their enterprises should be encouraged. The benefits of cooperation between EU and China far outweigh their differences. Europe should not blindly follow in the steps of the US government's power play," Bai told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"China is the first country to reopen its economy after the coronavirus epidemic ebbs in China. European companies are now betting their hopes on the huge Chinese market. There is a lot of room to expand market demand in the future," he said.

The pandemic also provides new opportunities for the development of bilateral economic relations in areas like vaccine research and development, and the delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) materials.

On Monday, an Atonov-225, the world's largest capacity cargo plane, left from China to Leipzig Airport in Germany, loaded with 10 million face masks purchased by the German government from China. 

Three China-Europe cargo trains have departed from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, and Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province for Duisburg in Germany, Vilnius in Lithuania, and Madrid in Spain with epidemic prevention materials on April 14.

"China has much experience to offer Europe as it is the first to recover from COVID-19 attack. As a manufacturing powerhouse we have quickly restored capacity and are happy to help European countries," Bai said.

Negotiations over the China-EU bilateral investment treaty (BIT) are back on track and are expected to move forward rapidly, experts told the Global Times. The treaty can be rolled out in phases to inject immediate momentum into the economic growth, they said.