China-EU Summit: Strengthen mutual trust and cooperation

Editor's note: Bereket Sisay is a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, with a special focus on Africa. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In an apparent move to rectify some of the flaws in China-EU relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the two European presidents, Ursula von der Leyen of the EU Commission and Charles Michel of the EU Council in Beijing on December 7, and discussed a range of issues important to both bilateral and global engagement.

The meeting came at the heel of President Xi talks with U.S. President Joe Biden in California last month in their first face-to-face meeting in a year, with the leaders vowing to stabilize their relationship. Thus, the engagement of Chinese and EU leaders could be seen as an extension of an effort to shape relations with the aim of redefining engagement in a more trusting and win-win manner, rather than a zero-sum game of misunderstanding differences and leveraging for further schism.

Although the EU and China are major economic partners, with daily trade in goods of 2.3 billion euros (about $2.48 billion), and both sides have developed economic interdependence, there has been a major misunderstanding, especially on how to deal with trade imbalances. Following the EU's 2019 assessment of China as a partner, competitor, and systemic rival, the EU has adopted the foreign investment review mechanism, the foreign subsidy regulation, and the anti-coercion tool. In addition, at the beginning of this year, the EU began its push to "de-risk" European supply chains from China. Although the EU argued that these measures are for improving its economic security and ensuring a level playing field, China has expressed its dissatisfaction with both the designation and the measures taken. Moreover, the division along political lines, both on domestic and international issues, has not yet been better addressed, as it continues to be a source of contention. In a bid to ease tension, there has been an exchange of high-level visits between the two sides, but things seem not to be getting back to normal.

Against this backdrop, the China-EU Summit is crucial as it provides an opportunity for both sides to build trust despite differences in approach. It is with this understanding that President Xi said at the meeting, "We should not see each other as rivals just because our systems are different, reduce cooperation because there is competition, or engage in confrontation because there are disagreements." This statement succumbs to the very narrative of pursuing cooperation regardless of differences over approach as well as the system in an attempt to uphold the great banner of strategic partnership between the two sides.  In line with President Xi's sentiments, Ursula von der Leyen said in her opening remarks at the meeting that both sides need to manage their differences in a responsible manner. The statement infers the need for careful consideration of every aspect of divergence, as it may further deepen faulty lines between the two sides while highlighting the need to expand common understanding. Her statement seemed to suggest that retaining the partnership while minimizing the rivalry would be a better option for both sides.

The summit is also crucial because it paves the way for a partnership that enhances economic cooperation without compromising the autonomy and strategic interests of either party. This lies first and foremost in finding a mutually agreed solution through dialogue to any challenges or dilemmas that may arise from the engagement, and this has been strongly emphasized by both sides during the summit. Accordingly, unilateral measures to solve challenges will not work, as the previous trend of such types of solutions has proven to be a failure, if not a complicating factor.

Moreover, the summit is profoundly important in further strengthening cooperation on addressing global challenges. China and the EU pledged to continue cooperation on climate change and the environment, while reaching a consensus to continue to play a leading role in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as in the expansion of renewable energy.

The two sides also vowed to strengthen communication and coordination in multilateral fora as an important political capital to further develop mutual trust. This is of great value in further expanding their engagement to address outstanding world problems such as debt issues, food insecurity, health and other problems that would impede achieving development and ensuring peace. Therefore, the China-EU Summit is a pivotal occasion to build mutual trust and confidence and provide the impetus for further strengthening cooperation in various mutually beneficial areas, including finding lasting solutions to current predicaments.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)