Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends a high-level virtual dialogue with European business leaders in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the country would push for further improvement of its business environment and create a level playing field when he talked to European business leaders in a virtual dialogue on Friday, as China and Europe are moving closer toward each other to fuel the post-pandemic recovery and seek win-win business opportunities. 

Experts said that China’s rapid economic growth, especially in smart cars and intelligent manufacturing, can provide a lot of opportunities for European companies which will depend on Chinese markets much more than anywhere else. 

During the high-level virtual dialogue with European business leaders, Li said that China will further activate market vitality, simplify enterprise registration procedures and provide measures to guarantee fair competition. 

Tian Yun, vice director of the Beijing Economic Operation Association, said that Premier Li is explaining China’s ideals and opportunities to European business leaders, as well as listening to their opinions. 

Li also stressed that China has adopted effective macroeconomic policies, which achieved relatively good results with reasonable costs. As a result, the Chinese economy has recovered with relatively fast speed.

China’s GDP grew 2.3 percent for the year of 2020, the only major economy to achieve positive economic growth under the pandemic crisis. 

Li’s comments also came weeks after China and Europe concluded in principle the negotiations for an agreement on investment, which raised anticipation for broader business cooperation between China and Europe. 

According to Tian, China’s economic rise can bring a lot of chances for European companies, as China and Europe have a lot to supplement each other’s economies. 

“For example, when China is carrying out industrial upgrading, it has to purchase a lot of high-end parts from overseas countries, and European countries can meet such demands with their advantage in intelligent manufacturing,” he said. 

In particular, Europe has been reliant upon the US markets for such products in the past. But as China’s economy roared ahead with a much faster growth speed, European companies will find Chinese markets increasingly lucrative in the coming years, experts said. 

He also noted that European countries can fill in China’s shortage in supplies of agricultural products, such as pork. 

“Of course, Europe also has worries such as whether China’s sophisticated industrial chains will replace theirs if China’s industries develop to a certain level. But I believe with negotiations, the two sides will be able to generate more areas where they will be reliant upon each other in the long term,” he said.