China confident in Sino-European relationship despite trade disputes, says FM
12/3/2008 17:36
China has great confidence in Sino-European relationship despite
rising trade disputes, said Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing
today.
"These problems are like growing pains. They can be addressed," Yang
said at a press conference during the annual full session of China's
parliament.
The Chinese-European relations have moved up three tiers, from
constructive partnership, comprehensive partnership to comprehensive strategic
partnership, he said. "We have great confidence in the future of this
relationship."
Europe has become China's largest trading partner with annual
bilateral trade volume totaling over US$300 billion, 100 times that of 1975 when
the two sides established formal relations.
As Sino-European business
relations grow, disputes are "hardly avoidable," Yang said, "These problems are
like growing pains. They can be addressed."
The two sides will soon hold a
high level economic dialogue, he said.
The seventh Asia Europe Meeting will
be held in China in August, which will be a grand gathering for over 40 heads of
states and governments from Asian and European countries, Yang said.
Through
this meeting, Yang said, China hopes to further improve the cooperation between
Asia and Europe in international affairs as well as in economy and trade. "We
hope to promote the dialogue among different civilizations," he said.
Xinhua
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