BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing, calling on China and Europe to expand consensus and cooperation for the two sides to play an important role in properly responding to global challenges. Noting the persisting severe situation of COVID-19 globally and the uncertain prospect of economic recovery, Xi said the world more than ever needs mutual respect and close collaboration, rather than suspicion, antagonism or zero-sum game.
Xi urged the two sides to uphold correct mutual cognition. Over the past 100 years, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people in opening up a development path suited to China’s national realities that has won universal support of the Chinese people, Xi said, adding China has been committed to the common values of humanity including peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom.
China and Europe have engaged in cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect and seeking common ground while shelving differences, Xi said, adding the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership is where the greatest common denominators converge. “We should uphold this spirit, view each other’s differences in a correct way, rationally handle divergences, and ensure ties between the two sides move forward,” said Xi.
He went on to call for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation for win-win results. Xi said China is willing to convene the 23rd China-EU leaders’ meeting with the European side at an early date, conduct high-level dialogues in strategic, trade, cultural, digital and climate sectors, and advance mutual recognition and protection of products listed in the China-EU agreement on geographical indicators to deliver more tangible benefits to the people. In the context of the COVID-19 prevention and control, Xi said the two sides should keep optimizing “fast tracks” for personnel exchanges. As China is firmly committed to further opening up, Xi expressed the hope the European side can provide just, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in accordance with market principles. He also urged safeguarding the real multilateralism. The international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core and the basic norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter must be upheld, and global issues should be addressed via consultations of all parties in a reasonably calm manner, he said.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
