Daily World Briefing, Feb. 15

China, Europe are partners, not systemic rivals: Chinese FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday at the Munich Security Conference that China and Europe are partners, not opponents, and certainly not "systemic rivals."

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in response to questions on China-EU relations after delivering a speech at the "China in the World" session of the Munich Security Conference.

Half a century of engagement and daily trade exceeding 2 billion U.S. dollars clearly show the depth of China-Europe partnership, said Wang, cautioning that exaggerating differences would harm China-Europe relations.

Acknowledging differences in social systems, values, and development paths, he stressed that differences are not a reason to be adversaries, and divergences are not a basis for confrontation. Mutual respect, appreciation, and learning should guide their efforts to realize common development and jointly illuminate the world, he said.

Citing ancient Chinese wisdom, Wang said that "all things grow together without harming each other; ways run in parallel without conflict," adding that "a gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity."

This means pursuing harmonious coexistence while recognizing differences, a principle known as the way of a gentleman, and China and Europe should both act in accordance with this principle, he said.

In today's complex and turbulent international environment, the two sides should join hands to uphold multilateralism, safeguard the authority of the United Nations, oppose unilateral bullying, and resist bloc confrontation, he said.

Wang called for joint efforts to implement President Xi Jinping's four global initiatives and build a fairer, more reasonable global governance system, which is a shared direction for China-Europe cooperation.

39th AU Summit opens in Addis Ababa with focus on water security, development

The 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) opened Saturday at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

The two-day summit, which brings together leaders from AU members, was launched under the AU's 2026 theme: "Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063."

In addition to sustainable water management, delegates also discussed a range of issues, including peace and political stability, economic development, regional integration, and efforts to strengthen Africa's global standing and unity.

The opening session drew African heads of state and government, alongside leaders of continental and international organizations, including AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Ukraine ready for agreement to bring real peace: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday in Munich, Germany that Ukraine is ready for an agreement that will bring real peace, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

"Ukraine is ready for an agreement that will bring real peace to us, to Ukraine, to Europe," he said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, adding that the crisis can be ended, first of all, with dignity. "This is the most important thing for us," Zelensky said.

According to him, Europe is practically not present at the negotiating table, which is a "big mistake." Ukrainians are trying to fully engage Europe in the negotiating process so that "the interests of Europe and the voice of Europe are taken into account."

He added that Ukraine will do everything to make these negotiations successful and is in constant communication with U.S. representatives.

UK to deploy carrier strike group to Arctic: PM

Britain will deploy a carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.

Starmer said the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will lead the deployment, Sky News reported. He said that Europe "must be ready to fight," describing Europe as a "sleeping giant" with "huge defense capabilities," but adding that "too often this adds up to less than the sum of its parts."

Britain is no longer the country it was during the Brexit years, Starmer said, adding that there is no British security without Europe, and there is no European security without Britain. He reiterated Britain's commitment to defend its allies if called upon based on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) Article 5, the principle of collective defense among member states.■