Xi Meets European Leaders on Advancing Ties, Global Governance

Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President JeanClaude Juncker met in Paris on March 26 and agreed to strengthen China-European Union (EU) relations and global governance cooperation.

The leaders met in the French capital on the sidelines of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France.

China and Europe are two major forces in the world, and are important participants in and constructors of the economic globalization process, Xi said, adding that they share broad common interests.

The Chinese president indicated that the two sides should together uphold multilateralism, urging China and Europe to protect the status and authority of the United Nations (UN) and the international system with the UN at its core.

Xi proposed that China and Europe work to facilitate development and prosperity on the Eurasian continent, and improve strategic mutual trust.

Speaking of their meeting, Macron said it has sent a positive signal to the international community that the EU and China firmly uphold multilateralism.

France and the EU are willing to further enhance mutual trust with China, and together shoulder the historic responsibility of promoting world peace, security, and development, he said.

Merkel indicated that Germany attaches importance to China’s key role in international affairs, highly appreciates China’s support for Europe’s prosperity, and is willing to work with China to advance the process of multilateralism.

Juncker said the EU and China, as cooperation partners, could do great things together for the world. The EU stands ready to accelerate cooperation with China and play a positive role in jointly addressing global challenges, he added.