China, EU prepare for leaders' meeting

Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, underlined on Sunday the complementary nature between the bloc's Global Gateway strategy and the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, saying that the two do not run counter to each other.

In a phone conversation with China's senior diplomat Wang Yi, Borell said that both the Global Gateway, which plans to mobilize up to 300 billion euros ($329 billion) of investments for infrastructure projects, and the BRI are aimed at promoting global development.

Borrell extended a message of sympathy to China for the recent rain-triggered floods in Beijing and Hebei province while stressing the EU's unwavering commitment to developing sound ties with China.

He said he looks forward to visiting China as soon as possible to engage in strategic dialogues, jointly prepare for this year's leaders' meeting and further advance EU-China relations.

The phone conversation between the two senior diplomats followed a meeting between them in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 14.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and China's foreign minister, appealed for more dialogues between China and the EU at the institutional level to make up for the lack of bilateral exchanges over the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the high-level exchanges between China and the EU have maintained positive momentum, and both sides view cooperation as the defining feature of bilateral relations.

China has always pursued a proactive approach in advancing its relations with the EU and attaches great importance to the leaders' meeting scheduled within the year, Wang said.

Wang also extended a welcoming message to Borrell for his upcoming China visit and the China-EU strategic dialogue in autumn, saying that the two sides can make political preparations for the leaders' meeting through extensive and in-depth exchanges.