Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the morning of July 24th, 2025, met with the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who were in China for he 25th China-European Union (EU) Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
In his remarks, Xi said that over the past 50 years, China and the EU have achieved fruitful outcomes in exchanges and cooperation, delivering mutual success and worldwide benefits.
Xi also said an important understanding and insight was that the two sides should respect each other, seek commonality while reserving differences, uphold openness and cooperation, and pursue mutual benefit.
He stated that these were also important principles and the right direction for China-EU relations in the future.
Noting that the year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic elations nd the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, Xi further said that the China-EU relations have come to another critical juncture in history.
“China and the EU re both onstructive forces for multilateralism and openness and cooperation. The more challenging and complex he international situation becomes, the more China and the EU need to strengthen ommunication, enhance utual trust, and deepen cooperation. Faced with accelerating global transformation not seen in a century and a changing and turbulent world, Chinese and EU leaders should once again demonstrate vision and leadership, make the right strategic choices that will meet people’s expectations and stand the scrutiny of history, steer the right course for the development of hina-EU relations, and work to open a brighter next 50 years for China-EU relations, contributing more stability and certainty to the world,” Xi said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (m), with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (r), and the President of the European Council, António Costa, who were in China for he 25th China-EU Summit t the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi put forward three proposals for advancing China-EU relations, the first being upholding utual respect to reinforce the China-EU partnership.
According to the Chinese President, “China is a peace-loving country that values harmony, inclusiveness, cooperation, and win-win outcomes. Measuring China against the path taken by Western countries would result in a biased understanding of China. While China and Europe differ in history, culture, path, system, and development tage, such differences have not mpeded he establishment of China-EU iplomatic relations and growth of bilateral relations n the past, or hould they obstruct the development of bilateral relations n the future. The hallenges currently faced by urope do not come rom China. There are no fundamental conflicts of interest or geopolitical contradictions between China and the EU; and he fundamentals and prevailing trend of cooperation outweighing ompetition and consensus utweighing ifferences emain unchanged. China has always viewed and developed relations with Europe from a strategic and long-term perspective, regards Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world, and has consistently supported European integration and the EU’s strategic autonomy.”
Xi expressed the hope hat the EU will also respect the path and system chosen by the Chinese people, respect China’s core interests and major concerns, and support China’s development and prosperity.
The China-EU elationship, he stated, was not targeted at any third party, nor is it subjugated to or controlled by any third party, adding that the two sides should deepen strategic communication, enhance understanding and mutual trust, and foster the right perception of each other.
The second proposal put forward by President Xi was upholding openness and cooperation to manage differences and frictions.
“History and reality have proven that interdependence is not a risk, and convergent nterests are not a threat. Boosting competitiveness should not ely on “building walls and barriers”, and “decoupling and severing supply chains” ill only result in elf-isolation. Reducing dependency oes not mean reducing cooperation. The essence of China-EU economic and trade relations lies in complementarity and mutual benefit, and dynamic equilibrium hould nd can e achieved through development. China’s high-quality development and high-standard pening p will provide ew opportunities and expand new space for China-EU cooperation. China and the EU hould deepen green and digital partnerships and promote mutual investment and cooperation,” Xi also said.
Xi further expressed the hope hat the EU will keep its trade and investment markets open, exercise restraint n using restrictive economic and trade tools, and foster sound business environment for Chinese enterprises investing and oing business n Europe.
Thirdly, President Xi put forward the upholding of multilateralism to safeguard international rules and order.
Xi said: “Confronted ith major choices between war and peace, competition and cooperation, and closure and openness, multilateralism, olidarity and cooperation are the right answers. China and the EU should jointly uphold the international rules and order established after the end of World War II, advance the building of a more just and equitable global governance system in keeping ith the times, and work together to address climate change nd other global challenges, so that the torch of multilateralism will illuminate the way forward or humanity. China and the EU hould support the peaceful settlement of international disputes through political means. China always ecides ts osition based on the merits of the matter, stands or peace talks, and advocates ddressing both symptoms and root causes.
China is ready to strengthen coordination with the EU to ensure the success of the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém this year and make greater contributions to climate change esponse nd global green transition. China is also ready to conduct policy communication nd practical cooperation with the EU in the field of artificial intelligence and jointly promote n equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.”
