Wang Lutong, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs of the Foreign Ministry. Photo: Wang Qi/GT

 
Chinese foreign ministry on Saturday hailed the importance of China-EU ties and space in further cooperation and coordination, following the China-EU leaders' summit on Friday, which "provided political guidance and the strategic planning for China-EU relations."

Both sides agreed that stable China-EU relations would help to counter international uncertainties, Wang Lutong, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing on Saturday.

After long and in-depth exchanges of views on China-EU relations, Ukraine and other international and regional issues, the two sides gained a better understanding and achieved consensus and results, Wang said. 

We agreed that as the world is entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, China and the EU needs to maintain regular strategic communication, enhance future understanding, expand cooperation, and jointly respond to global challenges, he noted. 

The two sides agreed to hold high-level dialogues after the summit on the economy and trade dialogue, environment and climate, as well as people to people dialogue to achieve the needed results.

"China-EU relationship has its own value. It is not targeting any other third party, nor is this independent or all controlled by any third party," Wang said. "China-EU cooperation is deeply rooted in solid public, extensive common interest… Such cooperation enjoys great resilience and potential. It would not be reversed by any force. We are very confident in the future of this relationship." 

According to Wang, China and the EU will build on the mature mechanisms, including the high-level economic and trade dialogue, and macro-economic dialogue to strengthen communication of microeconomic policies and exchange policy coordination.

"Mostly, the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is mutually beneficial. And the two sides agreed to advance the rectification process of this agreement," Wang said. 

Both sides will also continue to deepen climate change cooperation and work for the success of COP27.

The two sides agreed to hold more high-level talks on emergency management and humanitarian issues. To further strengthen anti-covid corporation, China and the EU will work to close immunization gap and make effective medicines more accessible. 

However, China has also expressed the concerns of the impact on Chinese businesses by  a series of economic and trade policies launched by the EU in recent years. "We urge the EU to keep trade and investment open, and in particular, to refrain from creating new barriers."

"We don't think our bilateral trades, our normal trade should be affected by this. By conducting normal trade with countries, including Russia, we are doing our best to prevent a possible crisis of the food and energy," Wang told the Global Times after the briefing. 

China and the EU also exchanged views on human rights. 

"China believes that human rights are based on history and reality. We urge the EU to respect other countries' independent choices of development, human rights and uphold an objective, just position in this area," Wang said.  

Leaders of the two sides had in depth discussions on topics including Ukraine crisis, the Korean Peninsula, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Wang said China and the EU have much in common in basic positions. "Both sides support peace talks, and efforts to ease tensions and to prevent large scale humanitarian crisis." 

Neither side hopes to see a world moving toward division," said Wang. "Both sides oppose a new Cold War or any form of Cold War."

Regarding the US President Joe Biden's previous Europe visit ahead of the summit, Wang said, "if America is really serious about a possible ceasefire, they need concreate actions."

"We haven't seen any concrete actions. And what we have seen are only deployment of arms to this region and continuous sanctions, and all these risks hardening the position of Moscow," Wang told the Global Times. "Global leaders have to think about the repercussions sanctions might bring to the world. We are not a big fan of unilateral sanctions."

Compared with the US who tries to fan the flame, Wang said "China wants to calm the situation down."

Meanwhile, Wang said a meeting between Chinese and Ukrainian leaders is always on the agenda and the two sides are trying to get it sorted. "It's just a matter of time … Ukraine has always been a strategic partner of China."