EU relationship promotes mutual achievements and illuminates world

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By Huan Yuping (People's Daily) 10:23, May 30, 2025

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU).

China and the EU are two major forces promoting multi-polarization, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations advocating diversity.

As transformation of the world unseen in a century is unfolding at a faster pace, the China-EU relationship bears heavily on the global landscape and the shared future of humanity.

In January this year, Chinese new-energy vehicle maker XPeng and German automobile giant Volkswagen signed a Memorandum of Understanding for strategic collaboration on a superfast charging network in China, an eye-catching move in the global auto industry.

Back in the 1980s, the first Santana car co-produced by China-Germany joint venture Shanghai Volkswagen marked the start of Volkswagen's deep engagement in the Chinese market.

Over four decades later, China's reform and opening up has propelled the country forward by leaps and bounds. From importing European technologies and management expertise to jointly exploring the industry's frontier, this upgraded cooperation trajectory speaks volumes: China's development and progress continue to create more opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.

As Volkswagen's journey in China shows, while the modes and fields of China-EU cooperation may have evolved over the past half a century, the underlying principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation remains unchanged. Historically and today, there is no clash of fundamental interests between China and the EU, making them partners that can contribute to each other's success.

A healthy and stable China-EU relationship serves as a strong driver for mutual achievements.

China and the EU remain each other's most important trading partners, with highly complementary economies and closely intertwined interests. In the past five decades, China-EU trade has expanded from $2.4 billion to $785.8 billion in 2024, covering everything from traditional industries like garments and toys to high-end manufacturing such as machinery and photovoltaic products.

Investment has increased from almost zero to close to $260 billion, moving into a fast lane with ample potential ahead. China-Europe freight trains have made over 100,000 trips, linking more than 200 cities and establishing a direct overland trade corridor between China and Europe. In the first quarter of this year, trade between the two sides reached 1.3 trillion yuan ($180.45 billion), equivalent to over 10 million yuan every minute.

A healthy and stable China-EU relationship also brings positive energy that illuminates the world.

Amid major turbulence and transformation in the international situation, a steady stream of high-level European visits to China in recent months has sent a clear signal of deepening strategic communication and enhancing mutual understanding and trust.

Both sides have reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing world multipolarity and economic globalization, while continuing to collaborate on addressing climate change and safeguarding multilateralism, injecting positive momentum of openness, inclusiveness, and cooperation into a turbulent world.

Though different in history and culture, social systems, and development stage, China and the EU have demonstrated that countries can bridge differences through dialogue and replace competition with cooperation for the common good of humanity.

"What ultimately binds China and the EU is a shared vision for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world," said Zamir Ahmed Awan, a professor and founding chair of the Global Silk Road Research Alliance. In his view, the China-EU partnership serves as a pillar of global stability.

The 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties marks not an endpoint, but a new beginning. The China-EU relationship now carries greater global expectations than ever. Both sides should draw on historical wisdom, deepen strategic communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and strengthen partnership, fulfilling their responsibility to the people, the world, and history.

To that end, China and the EU should recalibrate mutual perceptions with strategic foresight, ensuring their relationship continues to move in a direction that contributes to peace and development worldwide.

China has always regarded Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world. The China-EU relationship does not target any third party, nor should it be dependent on or dictated by any third party. China's deepening cooperation with the EU is not a matter of expediency, but a strategic choice grounded in shared interests and a commitment to forward-looking development.

Europe, for its part, should uphold strategic autonomy, develop a more independent and objective perception of China's development, and focus on cooperation over confrontation, so as to ensure a healthy and stable China-EU relationship.

China and the EU should approach their development blueprint with openness, forging greater consensus and pooling strength in building an open world economy.