China willing to work with EU to keep bilateral relations on right track -- premier

The China-European Union (EU) relationship is currently facing both development opportunities as well as new challenges, requiring both sides to maintain the ties on the right track, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Li made the remarks while meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation. He added that China is willing to work with the EU to further implement the consensus reached by the two sides.

Li said that both sides should solidify the foundation of political mutual trust, and translate shared consensus into concrete actions, according to Xinhua.

Li noted that China is willing to continue expanding cooperation with the EU, promoting balanced and optimized trade, further opening markets, and creating new growth points in green development, digital economy, technological innovation, and industrial and supply chains to achieve high-level, mutually beneficial outcomes.

He also stressed that, based on equality and mutual respect, both sides should resolve issues in China-EU economic and trade cooperation through dialogue, consultation, and mutual understanding and accommodation. The premier expressed hope that the EU will provide Chinese enterprises operating in Europe with a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment, and that EU institutions will play a constructive role in advancing China-EU relations.

Costa stated that the EU is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with China, strengthen dialogue and communication across sectors and levels, enhance mutual trust, address each other's concerns appropriately, and promote pragmatic cooperation. He added that the EU is ready to further strengthen coordination with China to uphold multilateralism and jointly tackle global challenges such as climate change.