Wang Yi: China, EU should strengthen communication, deepen cooperation

China and the European Union (EU) should strengthen communication, enhance trust and deepen cooperation which serves the common interests of both sides, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has said.

Wang, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks when meeting EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on the sidelines of the series of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday.

Wang said there is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the EU as both sides advocate multilateralism, support world multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations as well as the international system with the United Nations at its core.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang urged the EU to further clarify its positioning of the strategic partnership between the two sides and promote China-EU relations to move forward on existing basis.

The EU should not waver, let alone encourage backpedaling words and deeds, Wang stressed.

For his part, Borrell said that China is first and foremost an important partner of the EU, and this positioning is very clear and certain. The EU is willing to maintain a strong engagement with China and develop a constructive, stable and long-term relationship.

On the Taiwan question, Borrell said that the EU is firmly committed to the one-China policy, the core connotation of which is there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is not a country. The EU has never supported "Taiwan independence."

China plays a key role in global affairs and its global initiatives are widely welcomed. The EU is willing to explore ways to strengthen policy synergy between both sides and promote practical cooperation to achieve more results, said Borrell.

The global production and supply chain is intertwined, so it is unrealistic and impossible for Europe and China to "decouple." The EU does not support confrontation of camps and parallel systems and the EU has no intention of hindering China's development, he said.

In response, Wang stressed that China is committed to building an open economy at a higher level and will continue to share its mega market opportunities with the world.

China supports the EU in pursuing strategic independence and making independent judgments, he said, adding that China is ready to work with the EU to leverage complementary advantages and dovetail each other's global initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative and EU's Global Gateway strategy.

Both sides should jointly safeguard globalization and the free trade system by adopting an open and inclusive approach, while opposing protectionism and unilateral bullying, Wang said.

Wang called on the two sides to guard against the politicization and instrumentalization of economic issues and the use of "derisking" as another term for "decoupling."

The two senior diplomats also exchanged views on the Ukraine issue. Wang said China supports a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, and will continue to promote talks for peace and play a constructive role in seeking a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.