China EU Photo:VCG

 
As Chinese Premier Li Qiang is to wrap up his first overseas visit to the EU since taking office, experts said on Friday that the trip saw Li repeatedly stress the potential of China-EU cooperation and pledge that China will continue to open up and improve its business environment, demonstrating the importance China attaches to the European market and the intention to dispel misunderstanding and strengthen economic ties with the two major European countries amid the "de-risking" rhetoric.

China is willing to work with France to uphold mutual benefit, continuously improve the business environment, expand cooperation in emerging areas, and push pragmatic cooperation between the two countries to a new level, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday when meeting French President Emmanuel Macron.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

 
Also on Thursday, Li told President of the European Council Charles Michel that China stands ready to work with the EU to strengthen cooperation in green, economic, trade and digital fields, so as to open up new space for the development of China-EU relations. Li also called on the EU to view its cooperation with China in an objective and rational way and work with China to safeguard the sound environment surrounding China-EU practical cooperation.

Conveying warm greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Macron, Li said that during the French president's successful visit to China not long ago, Macron and Xi had had in-depth exchanges and reached a series of strategic consensus, which have drawn a blueprint for the development of China-France relations, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The Chinese premier said his visit to France aims to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and to have in-depth discussions with the French side on strengthening China-France cooperation.

While deepening cooperation in such traditional areas as nuclear energy, space and aviation, China, France, and Europe should also tap the potential of cooperation in such emerging areas as environmental protection, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing, so as to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li noted.

Macron welcomed Li's visit to France and his attendance of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, noting that France attaches great importance to relations with China and adheres to the one-China policy.

Li's visit to France comes after Macron's productive state visit to China in April, which observers said highlights a high level of mutual respect that is built on stable political trust between China and France.

During his meeting with Michel on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, Li said China's development brings opportunities rather than risks to the world, encourages stability rather than creating shocks to global industrial and supply chains. There is no conflict of fundamental interests between China and the EU, and both sides have benefited from each other's development, adhered to strategic autonomy and multilateralism, and had broad consensus on climate change and other global issues.

Michel said China's development is beneficial to the EU and the world. The EU has no intention to contain China's development, opposes a "new cold war" and the act of taking sides, and hopes that the next EU-China summit will lead to positive results.

Li also exchanged views with Macron and Michel on the Ukraine crisis and other international issues of common concern.

Economic cooperation the main theme

Strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU has become a main focus of Li's visit.

During his visit to Germany, Li chaired the seventh China-Germany intergovernmental consultation together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, attended the China-Germany Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum and a round table for Chinese and German entrepreneurs, met with representatives from German industrial and business communities, and visited German companies in Bavaria.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang shake hands after addressing a press conference at the end of German-Chinese economy consultations on June 20, 2023 at the Chancellery in Berlin. Photo: AFP

 
China and Germany should become partners in green development, strengthen communication and coordination on green and environmental issues, promote green energy technology development and industrial technology upgrading, and deepen cooperation in such fields as new-energy vehicles, green finance, and third-party markets, Li said.

Germany rejects all forms of "decoupling," and "de-risking" is not "de-sinicization," said Scholz.

When meeting with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, Li pointed out that China is willing to work with France to promote the balanced development of bilateral trade, adhere to mutual benefit and reciprocity, expand market access, make the "pie of common interests" bigger, and promote practical cooperation to reach a new level.

Overall, Li's visit to France and Germany reflects the importance and complexity of China-EU relations. Germany and France are the EU's two most important economies, therefore their pragmatic cooperation with China will, to some extent, help stabilize the direction of China-EU economic ties, Chinese experts said.

Li's visit comes at a crucial juncture as China-EU relations are now at a crossroads and Washington has been roping in its European allies in "decoupling" from China, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

Li's emphasis on cooperation is a reminder for European countries not to be carried away by the so-called de-risking rhetoric, but to look ahead for more development opportunities, said Cui.

It is true that under the constant pressure from the US on its China policy, China-EU relations have experienced some fluctuations recently. On Tuesday, the European Commission unveiled a European Economic Security Strategy, which focuses on "minimizing risks" arising from certain economic flows in the context of rising geopolitical tensions. Hawks in the EU have tried to use "de-risking" as a disguise for their "de-coupling" push, which will have a significant negative impact on China-EU trade and economic cooperation, according to Chen Jia, an independent analyst focused on global strategy.

Under such circumstances, it is of great significance for the Chinese premier to reiterate and remind European leaders that China will continue to deepen its reform and opening-up, in a sign to hit back those geopolitical Cold War noises and reactivate calls for pragmatic cooperation, Chen noted.

Therefore, it is now the crucial moment to consolidate our traditional friendship and strengthen the ballast effect of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Chen told the Global Times on Friday.