President Xi Jinping chairs the meeting along with the heads of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The Asian Foreign Ministry said both parties are partners, not rivals, and their common interests far outweigh their differences.
“The changes in a century are accelerating, the international situation is worsening and becoming turbulent, the global economy lacks dynamism, global challenges are emerging, and bilateral relations are also facing new opportunities and challenges,” said spokesman Wang Wenbin.
He expressed hope that this meeting will play an important role in building the future, enhance mutual understanding and trust through strategic communication, and strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit.
Wang stressed that the sustainable and healthy development of bilateral relations is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides and the common expectations of the global community.
China’s Foreign Ministry reiterated that Beijing is a reliable and indispensable partner for the European Union and called on the bloc to resolve differences through dialogue.
The spokesman stressed that both sides had benefited from bilateral cooperation and that the Asian giant had “never intentionally sought a trade surplus.”
The spokesman was reacting to Ursula von der Leyen’s recent statements about the imbalance in trade relations, one of the main points of friction between the two parties.
According to Beijing, this situation is “the result of the combined influence of the macroeconomic environment, international trade conditions and industrial structures of both sides.”
On the other hand, the spokesman emphasized that the bloc also achieved significant benefits in exchanges with the Asian giant.
“More than a third of EU companies’ exports to China were sold to the EU,” he said.
Likewise, he stressed that the European Union is setting strict limits on the export of high-tech products to the Asian giant, while “expecting to significantly increase exports to China, which may not be a reasonable expectation.”
npg/idm