China and the European Union (EU) should be committed to peaceful coexistence, openness and cooperation, multilateralism and dialogue, and consultation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday, calling on the two sides to firmly promote the healthy and stable development of their comprehensive strategic partnership. 

Xi made the remarks while co-hosting a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting on Monday evening in Beijing via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

President Xi proposed four principles for developing the China-EU relationship — peaceful coexistence, openness and cooperation, multilateralism, dialogue and consultation.

He further elaborated that as there are no identical political systems in the world, the coexistence of multiple civilizations represents normalcy, saying that the more firm the strength underpinning China-EU peaceful coexistence, the more guaranteed the world peace and prosperity.

Talking about openness, Xi said that China is working toward the goal of fostering a new, dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. 

He stressed China is ready to work with the EU to step up dialogue and coordination at bilateral, regional and global levels, stay committed to a global governance outlook featuring consultation, contribution and shared benefit, defend the international order and system with the United Nations at the core, and promote the political settlements of international and regional hot-spot issues.

Noting that China and Europe are important trade and investment partners to each other, Xi called for the two sides to step up macro-policy coordination, take more measures and unleash more cooperation opportunities.

Merkel, Michel and von der Leyen said China is an important strategic partner respected by the EU. It is imperative for Europe and China to strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism, resist unilateralism and protectionism, and respond more effectively to various global challenges, which is in line with the common interests of both Europe and China and the international community.

During the meeting, the leaders announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications (GI), stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year, decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue, and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships.

Read more: When geographic indications meet poverty alleviation

GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. The agreement is expected to prevent counterfeiting of GI and enable consumers on both sides to eat and use authentic high-quality products. 

Noting the agreement on GI was officially signed on Monday, Xi said the two sides should adopt a positive and pragmatic attitude, speed up negotiations on the China-EU investment agreement to achieve the goal of completing the negotiations by the end of this year, working to upgrade cooperation, facilitate the post-epidemic world economic recovery and jointly safeguard an open trade and investment environment.

Read more:

China, EU look for closer cooperation in post-COVID-19 economic recovery

Significant progress made in 'pragmatic' China-EU trade talks

"The Chinese market remains open to the EU. More high-quality and safe EU agricultural products are welcome to enter China," Xi said.

"The two sides should forge China-EU green partnerships," Xi said, adding that the two sides need to participate constructively in the global multilateral process of tackling climate change and protecting global biodiversity, support each other in running the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next year and promoting the 15th Conference of the Parties of the convention on biodiversity in Kunming to achieve positive results, and contribute to global sustainable development.

For the next step, the two sides should strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and cooperation, maintain the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain, and jointly promote the recovery of the world economy, Xi said.

Xi called for strengthening vaccine research and development cooperation, to strive for making vaccines universally available global public goods, and fully accommodate the availability and affordability of the vaccines in developing countries.

Merkel, Michel and von der Leyen agreed that the EU is willing to work with China to strengthen dialogue, promote mutual trust, and push cooperation in the fields including economy and trade, investment, green economy, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development for more achievements.

The European side was encouraged by the signing of the agreement on GI, welcomed China relaxing market access restrictions, expanding opening-up, pledging to concluding the EU-China investment agreement negotiations within this year to inject new impetus into EU-China relations.

The Chinese president also clarified China's principled position on Hong Kong- and Xinjiang-related issues, saying that the essence of the issues is to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and unity, and to protect the rights of people of all ethnic groups to live and work in peace. 

"China firmly opposes any person or force creating instability, division and chaos in China, and meddling in China's internal affairs by any country," Xi stressed. 

"There is no one-size-fits-all path to human rights development in the world. There is no best way, only the better one," Xi stressed, adding that countries should priorly handle their own affairs. 

Chinese people will not accept "an instructor" on human rights and oppose "double standards." China is willing to strengthen exchanges with the European side based on the principle of mutual respect so that the two sides can both make progress, said Xi.

On the human rights issue, the European side admitted its problems and expressed the hope to conduct dialogue with China based on the principles of equality and mutual respect to enhance mutual understanding and handle their differences properly.

The leaders also exchanged views on international and regional issues including the Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issues, agreeing to strengthen communication and coordination and to make joint efforts in maintaining international and regional security and stability.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties, and this was the second video meeting between Chinese and EU leaders in less than three months. It also comes after recent visits by senior Chinese diplomats to EU member states such as Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Greece. 

(With input from Xinhua)