Ambassador Cai Run, Head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, spoke to CGTN Europe on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties.
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00:00as China and the European Union mark 50 years of diplomatic relations CGTN has
00:11been talking exclusively to Tsai Run the head of the Chinese mission to the EU
00:16he's been telling our correspondent Li Jianhua about the importance of the
00:20shared commitment to multilateralism and global cooperation this year marks the
00:2750th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and
00:31the EU important year in the development of China you relations over the past 50
00:37years this relationship has traveled an extraordinary journey and maintain a
00:41steady growth momentum
00:49early this year President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with President Antonio
00:54the coast of the European Council they had in-depth discussions and reached
00:58important consensus on future China EU ties providing strategic guidance and
01:03charting the course for the relationship
01:05the past 50 years has witnessed more practical cooperation when China and EU
01:14established the diplomatic ties their trade volume was only 2.4 billion US
01:19dollars and bilateral investment was nearly zero as of 2024 according to
01:25Chinese statistics the trade volume has reached 780 4.8 billion US dollars and a
01:32two-way investment in stock has a 260 billion dollars
01:37the past 50 years has witnessed the deepening of friendship between the
01:43Chinese and European people as China continues to grow more and more Chinese
01:47citizens have come to Europe to experience these beautiful landscapes and rich
01:51cultures meanwhile the fascination with China and Chinese cultures continue to grow
01:56and captivate audiences over time from on the comes our consensus and
02:03cooperation far outweigh differences in competition we are partners not rivals
02:09and certainly not enemies so you have talked about deeper political
02:13engagement trade ties and people to people exchanges I think one of the most
02:18impressive achievements are the trade ties between the two sides from 2.4 billion US
02:25dollars to about 785 billion US dollars in the space of 50 years trade has always been the
02:31cornerstone of bilateral relations but tensions because it's especially
02:36concerning Chinese made EVs trade imbalances and market access so what do you think should be done to
02:44resolve tensions
02:45our cooperation is best in scale and broad in scope it's inevitable that differences and frictions may arise
02:57China opposes politicizing economic and trade issues and overstretching the concept of security and rejects protectionism
03:06in conversations with my Chinese and European friends I often heard one view that makes perfect sense to me to turn the points of friction and differences between China and EU into points of cooperation and growth in our relationship
03:23there's promising potential in clean energy technology new energy and combating climate change another key area of cooperation in the future is artificial intelligence we also share common interests and needs in upholding multilateralism preserving the WTO centered multilateral trading system and opposing unilateralism and protectionism
03:49in general Chinese enterprises highly value the EU market according to available data China's direct investment stock in Europe exists 120 billion dollars accounting for 33 percent of its investment in developed economies
04:10however they also have concerns mainly in two areas
04:16first they hope the EU can provide a fair just and non-discriminatory business environment free from political interference
04:22second they seek greater certainty both in terms of policies and regulatory predictability
04:28European Commission president
04:30European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for constructive engagement with China
04:34and in a phone call with China's Premier Li Chao in early April
04:38she also called on China and the EU to provide stability and predictability to global economy
04:44and you also said I'm quoting you that the EU and China are partners not rivals or opponents
04:50so in light of the current geopolitical tensions what do you think a true partnership is like
05:02the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century in a world full of changes and turbulence
05:10China EU relations carry more strategic significance and global impact
05:14it is important to further strengthen high-level exchanges
05:20the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties presents an opportunity to enhance such high-level exchanges
05:26it is important to deepen practical cooperation
05:28after over 50 years of exchanges and cooperation including economy and trade
05:34China and EU have formed an economic relationship that is closely intertwined and highly symbiotic
05:40China is now advancing high-quality development and Chinese modernization
05:44while the EU is striving to enhance competitiveness
05:48these efforts create fresh opportunities for collaboration
05:52China has granted unilateral visa-free access to 24 EU members
05:56to facilitate people-to-people exchanges
05:58it is important to enhance coordination on major international and regional issues
06:03China is also ready to strengthen communication with the EU on international hotspot issues
06:08to promote political sentiment process
06:10to promote political sentiment process
06:11and safeguard regional and world peace and stability
06:14民主席的终构解决进出
06:16维护地区和世界的和平与稳定