The sit-down discussion jointly held by think tanks from China and Belgium in Brussels was attended by economists and top officials from both sides. 

"The EU and China nowadays have greater responsibility to overcome global tensions and confrontations. We both are engaged in the work of world stability and openness. It is needed more than ever. We have together a special responsibility," said Van Rompuy, former president of the European Council.

Closer cooperation for protecting the integrity of the multilateral mechanism is needed between Asian and European countries, especially under the circumstance of rising trade protectionism. 

"This kind of game has never been a bilateral one. Everyone must be involved. So we also very much hope for communication and coordination with the EU countries, in order to achieve the results we all expect together," said Zhou Xiaochuan, president of the China Society for Finance and Banking.

Experts' views show that the unfair trade system and imbalanced financial sector are the primary influencing factors of today's uncertain global economy, while multilateralism is the true path. 

The multilateral trading system is widely supported, according to Marion Janson, the chief economist of the International Trade Center, who firmly believes in the effectiveness of system rules.