(Photo courtesy of the European Union)

On the afternoon of April 8, Chinese Premier Li Qiang had a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. During the conversation, the two leaders reached a consensus on the future direction of development and cooperation mechanisms. Li Qiang noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, and the bilateral relationship is on a steady and positive development trajectory. China is willing to work with the EU to continuously promote the improvement and forward progress of their relations, especially in areas of mutually beneficial cooperation such as trade, green development, and digitalization.

China has consistently followed this approach. In recent years, China has made continuous breakthroughs in promoting economic globalization, especially within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, demonstrating strong international cooperation capabilities.

According to the data from the Economic and Commercial Section of the Chinese Mission to the EU, in 2024, the total trade in goods between China and the EU reached 731.1 billion euros, maintaining the trade scale at a high level. China is not only the EU's largest trading partner, but the EU is also China's second-largest trading partner globally. These close economic ties have laid a solid foundation for strategic cooperation between the two sides.

In the digital field, on March 26, Kirin Asia Holding Limited signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China's quantum computing company Origin Quantum Computing Technology Co., Ltd. in Hefei, Anhui, China. They will jointly explore the construction of a "Quantum-High Performance Computing-Intelligent Computing" integrated computing center in Spain, aiming to create the largest integrated computing center in Europe. In the field of climate change, China and the EU have also made significant achievements under the framework of the Paris Agreement. To date, China-EU clean energy cooperation has formed an industrial ecosystem with an annual output value of over 100 billion dollars. Representative projects, such as the Dongtai offshore wind power, cadmium telluride photovoltaic glass production, and the research on EU-China pollutant reduction technologies in Eastern Boilers, have not only reduced industrial pollution but also provided new solutions for global green development.

Similar practical cooperation can also be seen in other regions around the world. In Africa, China's infrastructure construction and green energy projects have injected new momentum into the economic development of the region. For example, projects such as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway in Ethiopia and the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in Kenya have not only improved transportation conditions but also promoted the transformation of local economic structures. In Latin America, China's investments in infrastructure and green energy have similarly had a positive impact. For example, projects such as the Chancay Port in Peru and the 300 MW photovoltaic power plant in Hojalar, Argentina, have provided strong support for green development and economic growth in the region.

It is worth mentioning that despite the current pressure of unilateral tariffs from the United States, China's network of international cooperation has not been affected and has, in fact, shown signs of expansion. According to The Print, an Indian newspaper, on April 7, South African Vice President Paul Mashatile stated at a business and community leaders' gathering that the country will continue to deepen its economic and trade relations with China, India, and other countries. According to the website of Spanish TV channel Antena 3, from April 10 to 11, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will meet with Chinese leaders in Beijing to strengthen bilateral relations and reinforce links in key areas. On April 7, the EU announced retaliatory tariffs against the United States, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the EU would further expand cooperation with other trade partners outside the United States.

As Chinese Premier Li Qiang stated, "Humanity lives in the same global village, and no country can isolate itself. Protectionism has no way out; openness and cooperation are the right path." It is foreseeable that, despite the complex and changing global economic situation, with China continuously deepening its exchanges and cooperation with countries around the world, global economic and trade relations will continue to develop in a healthy and stable manner. In the future, the world economy will undoubtedly move toward a new era of greater openness, inclusiveness, and shared growth.