Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hailed the productive China-EU relations, calling on the two sides to continue deepening bilateral relations and cement the broad consensus reached on major issues to enhance China-EU relations.

Wang made the remarks at an event held by the European Policy Center in Brussels on Monday. He said China and the EU concluded negotiations on the Geographical Indications (GI) agreement as scheduled, signed two agreements on aviation cooperation and made good progress in enhancing the complementarity between the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU's Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia.

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Wang reiterated China's positive and constructive view of the EU as an important cooperation partner and priority on its diplomatic agenda and said he is expecting to see a smooth transition and steady progress of the bilateral relations.

Given the extensive consensus reached on major issues from strengthening global governance and upholding multilateralism to defending free trade, Wang called for the two sides to work jointly to uphold the international order and tackle global challenges to send the world a clear message.

Wang said China remains a developing country despite its large economy. Unbalanced and inadequate development remains a prominent challenge for China, the foreign minister said, adding that it would be unreasonable to "demand reciprocity between a country that has been developing for only several decades and countries that have developed for centuries."

Wang stressed that China and the EU are partners rather than competitors and that the consensuses reached between the two sides far outnumber their differences.

He also suggested that the two sides treat each other as opportunities rather than threats, calling on the two sides to respect each other, learn from each other and settle differences through dialogue.

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The Chinese foreign minister also emphasized the trade relations between China and the EU, saying that China-CEEC cooperation, which features openness, transparency, inclusiveness and equality, has brought benefits to the two sides.

Referring to the human rights issues in China, Wang said China respects Europe and never interferes in Europe's internal affairs and hopes Europe will also respect China and appreciate the choices made by the Chinese people.

"The true value of the universality of human rights can only be realized when it is applied in the context of specific needs of different countries," he said.

Wang also called on the two sides to enhance the synergy of their respective strengths. As China is furthering its opening-up, Wang said the country welcomes more EU enterprises to enter China's market and invest in the country.

He called for strengthened strategic communication and cooperation on multilateralism, saying that China and the EU should stand hand-in-hand on the side of the collective aspirations of the majority of countries and firmly oppose the rise of unilateralism and protectionism.

Wang also noted that there is a pressing need to strengthen and improve global governance and urge countries to abandon their Cold War mentality and make active efforts to advance the rule of law and democratization of global governance.

Wang viewed climate change, as one of the foremost global challenges of our times, a big highlight of China-EU relations. He said he expects the two sides to enhance communication on this matter and expand their strategic cooperation to other fields, such as counterterrorism, deradicalization and the political settlement of international flash-points.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at an event held by the European Policy Center in Brussels, December 16, 2019. /Photo via Chinese Foreign Ministry)