Chinese and European government and business representatives voiced strong expectations for closer cooperation between the two major trading partners across key industries, with the financial sector at the core, as they work together to address global challenges.
The remarks were made at the China-Europe Forum on Finance and Investment: Forging New China-Europe Ties — Synergies for Solutions, a sub-forum of the ongoing Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum (FSF) 2025, in Beijing on Tuesday.
Speaking at the forum, Li Xingqian, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said that since the beginning of this year, the CCPIT has led business delegations to several European countries, including Germany and Italy, achieving a series of investment and cooperation results in sectors such as automobiles, agricultural products, and clean energy.
Many European companies, including Airbus, have expanded their presence in Chinese cities, said Li, noting that evidence has shown that China-Europe economic and trade cooperation has strong endogenous momentum. "We believe that more Chinese enterprises will play a bridging role in the future, deepening practical cooperation and fostering stronger joint growth," Li said.
On a further note, Li said that the financial industries of both sides are highly complementary, with vast potential for collaboration. "By combining Europe's strong brand, market, and technological advantages with China's continuously improving industrial support systems, the two sides can create more high-quality products together," said Li.
Financial institutions in China and Spain have maintained a strong cooperative relationship, providing convenient services for corporate investment, financing, and cross-border settlements, Yao Jing, Chinese Ambassador to Spain, said at Tuesday's forum.
Chinese banks, represented by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, have made meaningful progress and exploration in areas such as green credit and green bonds in Europe and Spain, the Chinese envoy said, indicating the great potential for financial cooperation between China and Spain, as well as between China and Europe at large.
Foreign representatives also expressed confidence in the vast potential for cooperation between the two major trading partners.
"China has the capacity for foresight under its leadership to plan decades ahead and to turn policies into action with unmatched speed... the Chinese ability to mobilize and adapt faster than any other economy, combined with Europe's long-term capital and regulatory frameworks, offers a model for cooperation that is pragmatic, productive, and profitable," said Jack Perry, chairman of the 48 Group and CEO of the London Export Corp, while giving examples of sectors such as robotics and software, where the two sides are highly complementary.
Trade and investment figures reflect the high complementarity of China and European countries. In 2024, China and the EU were each other's second-largest trading partners. China was the EU's third-largest export market and largest source of imports, while the EU was China's second-largest export market and second-largest source of imports, according to a report published on the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2024, the EU made new investments in China totaling $6.79 billion, while China's new investments in the EU amounted to $7.09 billion, said the report.
"From a market value perspective, China and Europe share many similarities. Unlike the laissez-faire approach in the US, which often leads to unregulated capital expansion, China's approach is closer to Europe's, emphasizing regulation, opposing disorderly growth, and promoting a social market economy and common prosperity," Wang Yiwei, professor of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Tuesday on the sidelines of the FSF.
In terms of financial investment, China and Europe exhibit clear complementarity, Wang said, citing Europe's green finance market as offering great opportunities for cooperation with China in addressing climate change. "As an emerging market, China's financial system is large but relatively less developed, while it holds advantages in technological innovation and the application of emerging technologies, surpassing Europe in several areas," he added.
Moreover, in the field of green finance and the low-carbon transition, China actively promotes green bonds and carbon finance, providing funding support for low-carbon development and offering financing to enterprises worldwide, including European companies, the Chinese expert said.
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
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Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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