Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) meets with Josep Borrell Fontelles, high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in New York on September 21, 2022. Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

As the world has entered a turbulent period, China believes that the EU will stick to its strategic independence and work together with China to ensure the steady and long-term development of China-EU relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, while meeting with Josep Borrell Fontelles, high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

China and EU should adhere to mutual benefit and resist decoupling and chain breaking. Multilateralism should be upheld while opposing camps confront against each other. The two sides should seek common ground while putting aside differences, and not reducing cooperation because of competition, Wang noted.

Wang also called the two sides to hold a new round of high-level strategic dialogue as early as possible and strive to launch high-level dialogues on economic, trade, green, digital and people-to-people exchanges this year.

China and the EU should also step up dialogue and cooperation in macro-economy, finance, supply chain, energy and climate change to jointly address global challenges, Wang said.

Wang noted that the situation in Ukraine shows a trend of expansion and long-term development, with negative spillover effects becoming more serious, which is something China does not want to see. The urgent task is to cease fire and end the fighting.

China will neither stand idly by nor add fuel to the fire, but will continue to play a role in its own way. Meanwhile, China supports the EU and major European countries in continuing their active mediation and making every effort to strive for peace.

As two major forces in a multi-polar world, China and the EU should shoulder their due responsibilities, adhere to the basic positioning of mutual strategic partnership, and maintain the sound momentum of dialogue and communication, Wang said.

Fontelles said that the EU attaches great importance to China's status and role as a major country, which is indispensable to address the global challenges and safeguard the postwar order.

The two sides also exchanged views on the human rights issue, believing that communication and dialogue should be maintained and the human rights issue should not be politicized.