9月11日早间英文播报：President, EU leaders to meet via video link

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China-Europe freight train with 45compartments of anti-epidemic supplies leaves the Xinzhu Railway Station inXi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Aug 12, 2020, to head for Italy'sMilan. [Photo/Xinhua]

Talkscome amid intensive diplomatic engagement between key economies

President Xi Jinping will meet via videolink on Monday with European Council President Charles Michel, EuropeanCommission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel,the rotating chair of the regional bloc, the Foreign Ministry announced onWednesday.

The meeting comes amid intensive diplomaticengagement between China and the EU countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic andglobal economic recession due to the impact of the outbreak.

Xi had a video talk with the first two EUleaders in June, when they and Premier Li Keqiang co-chaired the 22nd China-EUleaders' meeting via video link. That was the first talk between Xi and the twonew EU leaders, who assumed their posts in December. He also had severaltelephone talks with Merkel after the COVID-19 outbreak this year.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister WangYi concluded his five-nation European tour on Sept 1, which took him to Italy,the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the PoliticalBureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of theOffice of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, alsovisited Spain and Greece last week.

Analysts said the upcoming meeting issignificant not only for the China-EU relationship, but will also help boostinternational confidence in post-pandemic recovery amid mounting tensionsbetween China and the United States.

In a speech delivered at the FrenchInstitute of International Relations on Aug 30, Wang said despite thedifference in social systems, China and the EU are meant to be comprehensivestrategic partners, not systemic rivals.

He called for building a partnershipbetween China and the EU in investment, green and digital economies,multilateral affairs and countering the pandemic.

China and the EU both advocatemultilateralism and are committed to safeguarding the United Nations-centeredinternational system, the international order underpinned by international law,and the World Trade Organization-centered multilateral trading system,officials said.

During the 8th China-EU High-Level Tradeand Economic Dialogue held via video link at the end of July, both sidesrecognized major progress made in their negotiations on a bilateralComprehensive Agreement on Investment. They committed to concluding thenegotiations and reaching a high-level agreement within the year.

Yao Ling, a researcher at the ChineseAcademy of International Trade and Cooperation, said the positive results ofthe dialogue demonstrated the common responsibility of China and the EU assignificant economies and the major driving forces of economic globalization tocreate a margin of hope for a global economy impacted by the pandemic as wellas unilateralism and protectionism.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of theestablishment of diplomatic ties between China and the EU. Due to COVID-19, aseries of planned events have had to be rescheduled. A summit of China and EUcountries planned for September in Leipzig, Germany, will be held later. Asummit between China and Central and Eastern European countries set for thefirst half of the year in China was also postponed.

Observers said the global pandemic hasbecome a catalyst for China and the EU to reshape their relationship, and thehuge interests they share will bolster their cooperation in the post-pandemicera.

The EU was China's biggest trading partnerfrom 2004 to 2019. In the first half of 2020, it became the second largestafter the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Wang said in his speech in France that overthe 45 years, "an important experience we have gained is: China and the EUare entirely able to enhance trust through dialogues on an equal footing,achieve win-win outcomes through mutually beneficial cooperation, properlyaddress differences through constructive communications and jointly tackleglobal challenges through stronger coordination".

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记者：曹德胜

播报：CorrieKnight

原文链接：

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202009/10/WS5f59609ba310675eafc589c1.html