On May 6, Han Zheng, Vice President of China, attended and delivered a speech at the reception marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU in Beijing.

Han Zheng stated that over the past 50 years since the establishment of China-EU diplomatic relations, exchanges and dialogues have become increasingly frequent, interests have become more deeply integrated, and the scale and level of cooperation have significantly improved. This has not only benefited each other but also the world. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, China and the EU have no fundamental conflicts of interest or geopolitical disputes; instead, they are partners that help each other succeed. Against the backdrop of the current complex and volatile international situation, China-EU relations carry even greater strategic significance and global influence. The two sides should take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity, adhere to the original aspiration at the time of establishing diplomatic relations, accurately grasp the general trend, maintain the positioning of the partnership, and uphold mutual respect, openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit. This will promote the continuous and positive development of China-EU relations. The two sides should work together to safeguard multilateralism, the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as its core, jointly opening up a more promising next 50 years for China-EU relations and making greater contributions to world peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

Prior to the reception, Han Zheng met separately with former President of the European Council Charles Michel and representatives of EU ambassadors to China. Han Zheng spoke highly of the development of China-EU relations over the past 50 years, stating that the full resumption of exchanges between the legislative bodies of China and the EU not long ago has provided new impetus for the development of China-EU relations. As two major stabilizing and constructive forces in the world, in the face of the complex and turbulent international situation, China and the EU should shoulder their due responsibilities, strengthen dialogue, deepen cooperation, properly handle economic and trade differences, and jointly safeguard multilateral trading rules and order.

The EU side said that over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, both the EU and China have achieved remarkable development, and EU-China relations have become one of the closest in the world. The two sides should review and summarize the experiences and lessons from the 50-year development of EU-China relations, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, lay a solid foundation for the better development of EU-China relations in the next 50 years, and inject stability and certainty into the world.