A view of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:

China and Europe have a lot to win in more cooperation, Yves Leterme (Leterme), former prime minister of Belgium told Global Times reporter Li Aixin in an exclusive interview during the 2024 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou) recently. Western powers should focus more on the positive aspects of China entering world history again, and see what China brings as solutions and contributions to facing and tackling the challenges we are facing, Leterme said. 

GT: You have said that China must take on the responsibilities of a major power on the global stage, and China has indeed been doing so. Are there any examples that have particularly impressed you in this regard?

Leterme: China has reentered the world history and established its own profile. It is coming to a global stage where there are vested interests, where certain powers try to dominate and defend their own interests. As a result, China's growing importance and its efforts to assume its role faces competition and rivalry. What I admire is that China has been carrying out its work in a very peaceful and patient manner. Although some other global powers have not reacted positively to China's new entrance, perceiving it as a move that threatens their positions, China has remained focused on its peaceful approach.

To summarize, I believe it is important for China to continue presenting its views, maintaining a peaceful stance on global issues and playing the constructive role it has been undertaking.

GT: You once stressed that Western countries, as a whole, should be ready to cooperate with China. What is the significance of China-West cooperation to the world?

Leterme: The time we are living through is characterized by global challenges that can only be addressed with global solutions. And "global" means involving all major countries and partners across the world. China, with its 1.4 billion people, being the second-largest economy and with thousands of years of history, is a nation that must play a global role. 

Western powers should focus more on the positive aspects of China entering world history again, and see what China brings as solutions and contributions to facing and tackling the challenges we are facing. In the fields of technology, human resources, natural resources and problem-solving, China's vision and experience can only add positive value in bringing lasting and sustainable solutions to the world's problems.

GT: The EU decided to impose tariffs of up to 45.3 percent on Chinese-made electric vehicles from October 30. How do you view the prospects for China and the EU to reach a resolution on this issue?

Leterme: The reentry of China into the world economy, and the power and speed with which China is doing so - at an unprecedented pace - naturally brings defensive reactions. However, I would hope that the tendency to impose tariff barriers, and to lean toward protectionist measures, is only a transitional phase toward a normalization of commercial, trade and industrial interactions.

I believe we have gone through the most difficult period of resetting the interactions between the EU and China on the global stage. I hope that in the coming years, we can find a constructive agenda of exchanges where we create new win-win situations.

To give you one example, I am personally convinced that in terms of reaching the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement in terms of reducing CO2 emissions, the EU has set very ambitious targets. Honestly speaking, we can only meet them if we count on the use of electric vehicles and solar panels - both of which are, to a very large extent, produced today by Chinese companies. Furthermore, there is also cutting-edge technological research and development in China in this field. We have a lot to win in more cooperation. The key is to find the right recipes for win-win cooperation, where both parties truly benefit. 

European economic activity could be boosted by attracting Chinese investments, having cars assembled in Europe and facilitating technology transfers. Despite the reactions from the West toward China as a new competitor, I hope that we can quickly move toward the normalization of economic exchanges between the EU and China, as well as between the US and China.