China-EU summit boosts cooperation, friendship

Premier Wen Jiabao and European Union (EU) leaders attended a summit here Thursday that has advanced bilateral cooperation and friendship, Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao said.

Wen, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso co-hosted the 15th China-EU summit.

The leaders, in a friendly and frank way, exchanged views on China-EU ties, practical cooperation between the two sides, the euro debt crisis, relevant global issues, and the like, and reached important consensus, Song told reporters.

The premier urged the EU to show senior political will and seize the opportunity to lift its arms embargo on China and recognize China's full market economy status, Song said.

Wen also called for launching negotiations on a China-EU investment treaty and discussing the initiation of a feasibility study on a China-EU free trade agreement, and conducting large-scale cooperation in the fields of transportation, electric power and communication, the senior diplomat said.

The premier also called for strengthening financial cooperation, saying China welcomed European firms using the Chinese yuan in cross-border trade and investment, Song said.X Concerning the EU's launch of an anti-dumping investigation into exports of Chinese solar panels, Wen said the case triggered strong reactions in China and also raised concerns among EU businesses, according to Song. Wen hoped the case could be properly solved through dialogue and consultation, the diplomat added.

At the summit, Van Rompuy and Barroso spoke highly of the progress of China-EU relations over the past decade, Song said.

The two leaders said the substance of the EU-China comprehensive strategic partnership has been continuously enriched, boosting the world economy's development, the vice foreign minister said.

The two leaders stressed that EU-China relations are mutually beneficial and win-win, saying the EU supports China's plans to deepen EU-China cooperation, Song said.

The two leaders called upon both sides to seize the opportunity, increase mutual trust, strengthen cooperation, properly address differences and promote EU-China economic growth and international financial stability, Song added.

The summit was of great significance for inheriting the past and ushering in the future concerning China-EU ties, Song said.

Under the guidance of the consensus reached at the summit, bilateral cooperation will, in a more comprehensive and profound way, contribute more to the development of China and the EU as well as to the world's common prosperity, Song said.