China-Europe freight train X9202 prepares to depart from the Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in north China's Tianjin Municipality May 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ran)
BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The interaction between China and Europe should be a positive cycle that enables their mutual success, not a knockout match which results in only one winner, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday.
Wang made the remarks while talking about China-Europe ties at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session.
"China and the European Union (EU) should not be each other's systemic rivals," Wang said. "They should be comprehensive strategic partners."
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis, which requires China and Europe to rise above ideological differences, dispel self-fulfilling suspicions and send a common message of solidarity and cooperation, he said.
China and the EU are maintaining communication over holding the 22nd China-EU leaders' meeting as soon as possible and are exploring the possibility of holding a special China-EU summit when appropriate, Wang said.
Both sides are working to wrap up negotiations on the China-EU investment treaty within this year and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of connectivity, environmental protection, digital economy and artificial intelligence, he added. ■
