China Europe cooperation is a positive force for promoting European development (International Forum)

By adhering to the partnership positioning and strengthening dialogue and cooperation, China Europe relations can achieve development, benefit both sides, and provide more stability for the world

China Europe relations have gone through a 50 year history, and despite differences and frictions, they have maintained overall development with close exchanges and cooperation in various fields. For some time now, the high-level dialogues between China and Europe in the fields of strategy, economy and trade, green and digital have achieved rich results, anchoring the strategic direction of cooperation between the two sides. Practice has proven that by adhering to the partnership positioning and strengthening dialogue and cooperation, China Europe relations can achieve development, benefit both sides, and provide more stability for the world.

In recent years, with profound changes in the international and regional situation, Europe's development has faced many challenges, which have had a profound impact on its economic competitiveness and international influence. Faced with challenges, there is an increasing amount of thinking within Europe about the overall direction of development. Among them, many rational voices point out that China's high-quality development is steadily advancing, and China and Europe moving towards each other and strengthening cooperation can achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, which will help Europe cope with challenges.

The economic and trade relations between China and Europe are complementary and resilient, and will provide important support for the recovery and growth of the European economy. In 2024, the trade volume of goods between China and Europe reached 78.58 billion US dollars, with particularly outstanding trade cooperation in the field of new energy. China's investment in EU green spaces will reach 5.3 billion euros in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 48%, and the bilateral investment stock will reach 260 billion US dollars in 2024. In the current situation, facing the rising tide of globalization, China EU economic and trade cooperation can help enhance the resilience of both sides' foreign trade and improve their ability to resist risks. China is vigorously promoting Chinese path to modernization and unswervingly promoting high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will bring important dividends to the development of European countries.

Promoting strategic synergy between China and Europe will help strengthen European strategic autonomy and enhance the EU's international influence and voice. Currently, Europe is facing risks and challenges brought about by external unilateralism, protectionism, and internal political fragmentation. China Europe cooperation can become an important option for enhancing its strategic autonomy. China supports the process of European integration and actively strengthens strategic coordination with the European side through platforms such as the United Nations, the G20, and the China EU Leaders' Meeting, insisting on developing relations with EU member states. Both sides have close cooperation in areas such as global governance, climate change, and biodiversity conservation. Both sides firmly uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core and work together to maintain the stability and smoothness of the global industrial and supply chains.

Deepening cooperation between China and Europe will help upgrade European industries. China's leading technologies in electric vehicles, clean energy, and other fields are injecting new momentum into Europe's green transformation. Chinese companies are building local factories in Europe and launching diversified new energy vehicle models, effectively driving local employment and promoting technological upgrading. According to statistics, the trade of goods between China and Europe supports approximately 3 million jobs in the European Union. This deep and beneficial economic interaction helps Europe alleviate social conflicts caused by economic weakness and immigration issues.

China Europe cooperation is a positive force in promoting the development of Europe. Both sides should take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to strengthen pragmatic cooperation, further achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and inject more stability into the inclusive growth of the global economy.

(The author is the director and researcher of the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

People's Daily (July 6, 2025, Issue 03)