EUROPEAN LEADERS URGE DEEPER CHINA–EU COOPERATION, CGTN REPORTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union (EU), prompting European political and business leaders to reflect on the relationship and outline priorities for the decades ahead during recent visits to China.

Former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said China’s growing global role requires Europe to reassess its approach.

“China and Europe have never been enemies, but we have never been brothers,” he said, adding that “history obliges” both sides to adapt to shifting global dynamics.

bootstrap slideshow

According to CGTN in a statement, while Prodi pointed out this historical urgency, former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel shed light on the challenges facing global governance, saying Europe and China share a responsibility to help maintain stability.

He cited United States-led tariff actions as having unsettled global trade and believed that closer Europe-China cooperation could help safeguard the international economic order.

Business leaders also underscored China’s importance. Chairman of Germany’s Peter Jungen Holding, Peter Jungen urged global entrepreneurs to engage more deeply with the Chinese market, describing the country’s shift toward innovation and entrepreneurship as a source of significant opportunity.

Meanwhile, Hungary’s Magyar Nemzeti Bank Director for International Strategy and Cooperation, Iván Kovácsics said Europe must accelerate innovation and expand partnerships to remain competitive.

Cooperation with China, he said, will be essential given its industrial capacity and technological strength.

As China and the EU enter the next 50 years of relations, both sides face the broader question of how to strengthen economic and strategic ties in a multipolar world while managing differences and sustaining global influence.

-- BERNAMA