China, EU are partners, not rivals: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- China and the EU are partners, not rivals, and China-EU cooperation should be a positive cycle that enables mutual success, not a knock-out match which results in only one winner, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on a recent report by France's Jacques Delors Institute. The report said that for the EU, leveraging China to realize its own development is a necessary choice. It called on the EU to always be rational on "de-risking", uphold a more rational and pragmatic China policy, and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, the green sector and technology.

"The report reflects that people with insights in Europe are positive about the prospect of growing China-EU relations and that the relationship enjoys solid foundation in the people," said Wang.

Certain individuals selectively emphasize on competing aspects between China and the EU, deliberately overlook partnerships and hype up "de-risking" with China and reducing dependence on China, Wang said, adding that such misconception on China not only will reinforce misunderstanding and erode mutual trust, but also goes against the EU's long-held position of upholding free trade and WTO rules and disrupts the growth of China-EU relations, which does not serve anyone's interests.

Wang said that China believes that the risk that we need to get rid of the most is confrontation and rivalry caused by politicizing all issues and the dependence that needs to be reduced the most is the act of resorting to protectionism. China and the EU are important parts of the global industrial and supply chains and staunch force in building an open world economy.

Wang expressed the hope that the EU side can listen to rational voices, steer clear of politicizing all issues or overstretching the concept of security, and work with China to maintain two-way opening up instead of erecting walls and barriers, promote trade and investment liberalization instead of trade protectionism, create a fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory business environment for companies of both sides, advance sound and steady growth of China-EU relationship and inject more stability and certainty for a volatile and turbulent world.