杂志原文:China and Europe：Indispensable Partners

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By FENG ZHONGPING

THE ramifications of COVID-19 are wide-ranging. One is the change of how people connect to and communicate with each other， together with the increasing popularity of real-time video. Among the ranks are leaders from the international community who have conducted their exchanges in what is known as “cloud diplomacy.”

On September 14， Chinese President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel， whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union（EU）， European Council President Charles Michel， and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link， the first kind of such meeting in 10 years. They reached consensus on advancing ties， safeguarding multilateralism， and jointly addressing global challenges. Both China and the EU spoke highly of the summit.

Before that， Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid an inperson visit to five European countries from August 25 to September 1 — Italy， the Netherlands， Norway， France， and Germany. The eight-day visit drew extensive international attention and highlighted the vital position of China-Europe ties in Chinas diplomatic vision.

In recent years， China-Europe cooperation has deepened in all fields. As the U.S. is taking a tough stance against China and Europe-U.S. relations are becoming strained， China and Europe are attaching even greater emphasis on cooperation with each other. Although China-Europe ties face some issues and challenges， both sides have expressed a strong willingness to strengthen partnerships. Strong Willingness for Cooperation

The China-EU leaders meeting has achieved tangible results， including the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications and their commitment to concluding the negotiations of the ChinaEU Bilateral Investment Treaty within this year. Chinese and EU leaders also decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue， and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships. From the bountiful results， the strong willingness of China and the EU to advance their pragmatic cooperation can be discerned.

Candidness also featured the ChinaGermany-EU leaders meeting， as they didnt sidestep problems and misunderstandings between them. Concerning issues of Chinas internal affairs， while indicating its position of opposing any foreign interference， China expounded its principles and stands on these issues， and communicated with its EU partners in an open manner. Meanwhile， the EU side also acknowledged its problems on human rights， and hoped to carry out dialogues with China under the principles of equality and mutual respect， trying to boost mutual understanding and properly manage their differences.

At the meeting， Xi proposed four principles the two sides should adhere to for developing the China-EU relationship： peaceful coexistence， openness and cooperation， multilateralism， and dialogue and consultation. The four principles enrich the connotation of China-EU relations， and will be conducive to further unleashing vitality of bilateral relations and its development potential.

The mutual support between China and Europe during the COVID-19 fight is exemplary of global joint efforts to handle a public health emergency. At present， China has effectively brought the epidemic under control at home. However， some European countries are seeing a resurgence of new infections. The anti-pandemic drive is still a top priority. During his eight-day visit of Europe， Wang Yi emphasized the importance of China-EU cooperation on the fight against COVID-19. All the five countries expressed their hope of making the cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine development one of the top priorities on their agendas.

Meanwhile， China and the European Union （EU） are among the largest economies in the world. From 2004 to 2019， the EU had been Chinas largest trading partner， while China had been the EUs second largest trading partner. The trade and investment relations between China and the EU， formed over many years， are under severe pressure because of the global implications of the pandemic. Therefore， stabilizing the ChinaEU industrial and value chains was one of the priorities of Wangs discussions with European leaders during his visit.

China-EU economic and trade cooperation during the post-pandemic era was equally a point of focus on this visit. EU countries currently attach great importance to the development of digital economy and green economy， which China hopes will be a major part of future China-EU cooperation.

One specific consideration of Wangs visit to Norway， a non-EU member， was to push for an early signing of the bilateral free trade agreement.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU. A series of high-echelon visits and major cooperation agendas were planned between China and the EU this year. Due to the pandemic， the annual China-EU leaders meeting was held online. On June 22， Premier Li Keqiang， together with Charles Michel， President of the European Council， and Ursula Von Der Leyen， President of the European Commission， presided over the 22nd EU-China Summit via video.

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