Europe must make correct judgments about China independently and demonstrate true strategic autonomy, Chinese President Xi Jinping told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, reported the South China Morning Post.
In a telephone conversation, Xi urged Germany and the European Union to recognise China’s rise as an opportunity, promote cooperation with mutual respect and “exclude external interference”, as tensions between the two sides have been rising over issues like human rights and Brussels regarding Beijing as a “systemic rival”.
“China’s development is an opportunity for the EU, and we hope that the EU will make a correct judgment independently and truly achieve strategic autonomy,” Xi told Merkel.
“China is willing to work together with Europe to negotiate a series of important political agendas for the next phase, deepen and expand pragmatic cooperation in various fields, strengthen communication on global governance issues such as climate change, and jointly practice multilateralism,” he said.
You must log in to post a comment.