Projects along China's Belt and Road Initiative must be open to Europeans, EU's high representative for foreign affairs and vice president of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, said on Thursday.

"Obviously, for us, it is essential that the opportunities are opened up for all, including Europeans," Mogherini told students at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

China is preparing the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for mid-May in Beijing, which will gather representatives of 110 countries, including most Asian leaders.

"I know there are people in the world who have concerns about a more confident and outward-looking China. I don't share this view," she said to Xinhua in an exclusive written interview ahead of her visit to China. "China can play a very positive role on so many fields, from Afghanistan to Syria, and we Europeans are ready to step up our cooperation in all these fields."

She reaffirmed this view at her address in Tsinghua University.

Mogherini co-chaired the 7th EU-China Strategic Dialogue with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi on Wednesday to lay the groundwork for the 19th EU-China Summit in Brussels scheduled for June.

China and the EU agreed to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, innovation, people-to-people exchanges, and other areas.

The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on Syria, the Iranian nuclear issue, the Korean Peninsula situation, and other affairs.

(Source: Agencies)