China, EU expected to enhance cooperation and bolster ties

A total of 16,145 China-Europe freight trains were operated from January to November, transporting nearly 1.75 million containers, a year-on-year increase of 7 and 19 percent, respectively, according to the latest data released by China State Railway Group on Tuesday.

Since the first China-Europe Freight Train departed from Yiwu City in east China's Zhejiang Province to Madrid in Spain in November 2014, the China-Europe freight train services have expanded to 217 cities in 25 European countries.

The increased number of China-Europe freight trains has showcased the interdependence and deep integration between China and Europe, as well as China and the European Union (EU) in recent years.

In 2022, China and the EU, who are each other's second-largest trading partners, achieved record bilateral trade flows of $847.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2.4 percent, according to data from China's Ministry of Commerce.

China and the EU have also enhanced exchanges in climate change, geographic indication products and new energy.

Ordinary passport holders from five EU countries, including France and Germany, can also enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days under a visa-free entry policy effective from December 1, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said at a recent press briefing.

Along with the booming economic and people-to-people exchanges, leaders of the EU and European countries, including Germany, France and Spain, have visited China to enhance mutual confidence and understanding since the end of 2022.

The upcoming 24th China-EU Summit, the first in-person meeting of leaders between the two sides in four years, is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated political events between the world's two major economies.

The annual summit coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the meeting mechanism between the leaders of both sides.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the upcoming summit as an occasion for the leaders to show direction, draw a blueprint and boost confidence in the bilateral relations, during his meeting with diplomatic envoys from the EU and its member states.

Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Studies at Renmin University of China, commented on the upcoming summit, which takes place after the meeting between China and U.S. leaders in November, saying, "It's time to improve China-EU relations and the summit proves that China-EU relations are returning to a normal mechanism."

Noting China's visa-free entry policy for five European countries, Wang Yiwei said the EU welcomes the policy, adding that the China-EU people-to-people exchange mechanism has yet to be fully restored. "In the future, China and the EU should carry out more people-to-people exchanges to dispel misunderstanding."

Wang Yiwei also said China and the EU can cooperate in many fields, including the new energy, green and low-carbon industries.

Many European observers believe that in the face of the changing and intertwined international situation, China and the EU should take this summit as an opportunity to enhance mutual trust, strengthen cooperation and jointly cope with many global challenges.

Piotr Gadzinowski, a former member of the Polish Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, noted that China and the U.S. have expressed a willingness to return to rational competition after their leaders' meeting in San Francisco in November, adding that EU-China relations will also benefit from the détente between China and the U.S.

Gadzinowski said China is the EU's most important non-European economic partner in many areas, even more important than the U.S.

Noting that China is an important economic partner of Poland, Gadzinowski expressed the hope that Chinese enterprises will increase their investment in Poland, especially in the modernization and expansion of railway infrastructure related to the China-Europe freight trains.