China and the European Union should enhance mutual trust and stick to cooperation to elevate their ties to 鈥渁 new level鈥, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday amid widening trade tensions.
In a meeting with EU diplomatic envoys in Beijing, Wang said that China and the EU 鈥渉ave both the responsibility and capability to provide much-needed stability and predictability to a world fraught with turbulence鈥, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.
鈥淏oth sides should enhance mutual trust, properly manage differences, pool strengths, and elevate the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level,鈥 Wang said.
The remarks were made during a gathering at the Polish embassy, before Poland鈥檚 rotating presidency of the European Union comes to an end this month and ahead of the two-day China-EU summit in late July.
EU leaders will travel to China for the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties. It will be the second successive EU-China summit in the Chinese capital, despite convention dictating that the location rotates.
This month, China and the EU agreed to hold a new round of trade talks to pave the way for the high-level leaders鈥 summit, with the two sides in deep dispute over market access, rare earths and electric cars.
The bloc threatened to walk away from the flagship EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue 鈥 expected to take place before the leaders鈥 summit 鈥 because of the stranded trade talks.
Bloomberg reported that the EU asked China to resolve the export issue around rare earth magnets before the summit next month.
In Wednesday鈥檚 meeting, the EU鈥檚 top envoy to Beijing Jorge Toledo asked for China to 鈥渦nderstand the fear and concerns鈥 felt by European companies because of the new Chinese controls on magnets.
He noted that the shortage was affecting European businesses 鈥渧ery, very badly鈥 and said that Europe expected China to 鈥渇ix this thing, even before the summit鈥.
Beijing introduced export controls on shipments of rare earths in April, in retaliation for US President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥渞eciprocal鈥 tariffs. Around 90 per cent of the world鈥檚 supply of the minerals comes from China.
Wang told the assembled envoys on Wednesday that both sides should 鈥渢ruly respect each other鈥檚 core interests and concerns鈥, according to the foreign ministry readout.
He reiterated Beijing鈥檚 stance on the Taiwan issue, noting that 鈥渨e hope the EU will continue to firmly uphold the one-China principle and oppose any form of Taiwan independence鈥.
鈥淲e will never allow the Taiwan region to split from China. But what is worth being vigilant about now is that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on the island is trying every means to move towards Taiwan independence, which is very dangerous,鈥 Wang said, according to a separate video clip of the meeting released by state media.
鈥淎nd it has fabricated many false narratives. But the ins and outs of the Taiwan question are very clear.鈥
According to the foreign ministry readout, Wang also noted that 鈥渢he 50-year development of China-EU relations has proven that the two sides are partners, not rivals, and certainly not enemies鈥.
鈥淐hina has always viewed the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, and hopes the EU will meet China halfway to ensure that cooperation remains the main theme of China-EU relations,鈥 he said.
Wang also called on both sides to uphold multilateralism. 鈥淐hina and the EU should follow the trend of the times, enhance mutual understanding, build trust, support each other鈥檚 development, and together illuminate the world.鈥
China has long seen the EU as a key pole in a multipolar world, urging Brussels to maintain 鈥渟trategic autonomy鈥 in the hope it will not align with Washington to counter Beijing鈥檚 influence. The EU is China鈥檚 second-largest trading partner after Asean.
In an exchange of notes last month with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, Xi called the EU a 鈥渕ajor force鈥 in building a multipolar world alongside China.
For Beijing, a primary concern in its relations with Brussels remains the steep tariffs the EU imposed on Chinese electric vehicles last year, which prompted China to announce a slew of retaliatory actions, including measures targeting European brandy and dairy products.
Last year, China and Poland agreed on a joint action plan for 2024-2027 to cooperate on electric vehicles despite the EU鈥檚 decision to raise tariffs on Chinese imports.
China and Poland established diplomatic relations in 1949, and their bilateral relations were elevated to 鈥渟trategic partnership鈥 in 2011.
Since 2005, Poland has maintained its position as China鈥檚 largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Last year, the trade volume between China and Poland was US$44.95 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7 per cent, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
In a phone call with Polish Foreign Minister Rados艂aw Sikorski last month, Wang expressed hope for Poland to 鈥減lay a more constructive role in promoting greater progress in China-EU relations鈥.
Wang added that China stood ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Poland and expand practical cooperation across various fields.