Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin Photo: mfa.gov.cn

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday hit back EU’s “de-risking” concerns, urging it to objectively view China's development and promote win-win cooperation and jointly address global challenges with China.

It is hoped that Europe will comprehensively and objectively view China's development and domestic and foreign policies, pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, promote mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between China and Europe, and jointly address global challenges, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.

The remarks come as the EU warned of risk of “decoupling” under guise of “de-risking” and launched a protectionist anti-subsidy probe against Chinese EVs.

The so-called concerns raised by Europe are not consistent with the facts, Wang said in response to the smears about a slowdown in China's economic growth, an unfavorable business environment, overcapacity, and imbalanced economic and trade relations with Europe.

Wang noted that the Chinese economy maintained a stable and positive momentum despite a challenging global economic recovery path.

In the first three quarters of this year, China's GDP grew by 5.2 percent compared to the same period last year, ranking among the top performing major economies globally. 

Many international institutions have recently raised their economic expectations for China. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released its latest report on Wednesday, projecting Chinese economy to grow by 5.2 percent in 2023, higher than the previous forecast of 5.1 percent.

China is committed to high-quality development and is focused on creating a market-oriented, rule-of-law-based, and internationalized first-class business environment.

According to a report released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, in the third quarter of this year, over 80 percent of surveyed foreign-funded enterprises expressed satisfaction with China's business environment. Nearly 90 percent of them expect their profits to remain stable or increase in the next five years.

China's new development will bring fresh opportunities for Europe and the world, Wang said.

By hosting China International Import Expo and China International Supply Chain Expo, China has been committed to promoting opening-up, strengthening global industrial and supply chain cooperation, providing new opportunities to Europe and the world.

The rapid development of China's green industry and clean technology is the result of persistent scientific and technological innovation and a complete industrial supply chain. It is a legitimate advantage achieved through hard work and fair competition. It has been well received by EU consumers and global users and has made significant contributions to global efforts to address climate change and promote green transformation, Wang said.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said that experience in the past 20 years has shown that by adhering to the positioning of a comprehensive strategic partnership, China-Europe relations can move forward, progress, and develop toward the future.

From curbing inflation to promoting economic recovery, from achieving green and digital transformation to enhancing strategic autonomy, from upholding multilateralism to addressing global challenges, China has proven to be a reliable and trustworthy partner for the EU, Wang said.