By He Yin, People’s Daily
On May 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulations with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU).
Xi noted that since the establishment of their diplomatic ties 50 years ago, China and the EU have maintained close exchanges across various levels and sectors, saying that the accomplishments of their dialogue and cooperation are fruitful, cultural and people-to-people exchanges vibrant, and multilateral coordination productive.
He added that China-EU relations have become one of the most influential bilateral relations in the world, contributing greatly to enhancing the well-being of their people, and promoting world peace and development.
In this half-century-long relationship between China and the EU, the most valuable asset is mutual respect, the most powerful impetus is mutual benefit, the greatest unifying consensus is multilateralism, and the most accurate characterization is partnership.
China always views its relations with the EU from a strategic and long-term perspective, and regards Europe as an important dimension in its major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics and an important partner on its path toward Chinese modernization.
In March 2014, Xi paid a historic visit to the EU headquarters and proposed that the two sides should jointly forge China-EU partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization, enriching the strategic substance of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
Since the beginning of this year, China and the EU have maintained frequent high-level interactions, sending a strong signal to the international community that they are both committed to multilateralism and free trade. Amid mounting global uncertainty, the two sides continue to serve as anchors of stability and constructive forces.
China and the EU enjoy complementary strengths and mutual benefits in economic and trade cooperation, forming a robust relationship of economic symbiosis.
In the past five decades, China-EU trade has expanded from $2.4 billion to $785.8 billion in 2024. Investment has increased from almost zero to close to $260 billion. China-Europe Railway Express has run more than 100,000 cargo trips and become a golden passage connecting Asia and Europe.
According to China’s General Administration of Customs, in the first quarter of this year, trade between the two sides reached 1.3 trillion yuan ($179.29), which translates to over 10 million yuan in trade every minute.
China’s pursuit of high-quality development and high-level opening up is creating new opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
Recently, European political and business leaders have actively visited China to attend events such as the China Development Forum and the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference. European multinationals have launched new products at Chinese expos and deepened their engagement with the Chinese market.
At the same time, Chinese business delegations have also held trade and investment matchmaking events in several European countries. The sustained two-way economic and trade engagement reflects the strong internal momentum and bright prospects of China-EU relations.
As China and the EU continue to act as partners for mutual success, their cooperation will not only support each other’s development but also provide stronger momentum for the stability of global industrial and supply chains as well as global development.
A healthy and stable China-EU relationship not only promotes mutual achievements, but also illuminates the world. From jointly promoting the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, to enhancing cooperation on biodiversity conservation, and advancing collaboration on global AI governance, China and the EU have engaged in effective multilateral coordination and cooperation in many fields, laying a solid foundation for their partnership in global governance.
Today, as unilateralism, protectionism, hegemonism, and power politics pose severe threats to international rules and order, deepening China-EU cooperation takes on even greater practical significance. Together, China and the EU account for over one third of the global economy and more than a quarter of global trade. As long as the two sides choose dialogue and cooperation, camps of confrontation will not emerge, and as long as they opt for openness and mutual benefits, the trend of economic globalization will not experience a fundamental reversal.
As two major forces promoting multi-polarization, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations advocating diversity, China and the EU should remain committed to multilateralism, uphold fairness and justice, oppose unilateralism and bullying, join forces in addressing global challenges, and jointly build an equitable and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization, so as to make greater contributions to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.
The history of China-EU relations demonstrates that as long as both sides uphold mutual respect, treat each other as equals, and engage in candid dialogue, they can advance cooperation and make significant achievements.
China is willing to work with the EU to uphold the comprehensive strategic partnership, make bilateral relations more stable, constructive, reciprocal and global, better benefit the two peoples and the international community, and work toward an even brighter future for China-EU relations.
