Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with President of the European Council Charles Michel.Photo: Xinhua

China's development is an opportunity, not a risk, for Europe, and the two sides should continue to open up and cooperate for greater mutual benefit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said when meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Sunday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

No matter now or in the future, China is and will be a trustworthy friend and partner for Europe. There is no geopolitical conflict between China and Europe, let alone a fundamental conflict of interests. China is ready to work with Europe to promote the sound and steady development of the bilateral relationship, Li said.

Li's call came after certain EU politicians reportedly made a "decoupling" push against China under the guise of "de-risking" rhetoric, which they said is aimed at reducing critical dependencies and vulnerabilities on China.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Xinhua

 
In his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit on Saturday, Li said the mainstream of China-Europe ties is cooperation, and the relations are win-win in nature.

Risk prevention as well as cooperation are not mutually exclusive, Li said, adding that people should not simply equate interdependence with insecurity, nor should they overstretch the concept of security and politicize economic issues.

The premier said China stands ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with Europe to enhance the reliability and stability of China-Europe economic and trade relations.

Li expressed the hope that the EU will uphold the principles of market economy and fair competition, keep its trade and investment markets open, and provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies to invest and operate in Europe.

China is willing to further deepen green partnership with Europe, strengthen dialogue and cooperation in such fields as clean energy and green finance, and provide support for developing countries in tackling climate change, he added.

The meetings are timely events to strengthen political consensus between China and Europe so as to dissolve differences in economic and trade issues, Yang Chengyu, an associate research fellow at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Yang referred to voices within the EU that hype the so-called de-risking from China and "reducing reliance" on China.

The EU should strengthen its strategic autonomy in dealing with China and avoid US pressure and instigation, Yang said. He noted that the China-EU economic and trade relationship is always driven by win-win cooperation and shouldn't be affected by geopolitical tensions between China and the US.

China is always a reliable friend and partner for Europe, now and in the future. The EU should maintain a sound economic and trade relationship with China in order to tackle the bloc's challenges including economic woes, raw material supplies and an energy crunch, Yang said.

The EU remained China's second-largest trade partner in the first eight months of the year, data released by the General Administration of Customs showed on Thursday. China's imports from the bloc increased 4.3 percent year-on-year to hit 1.31 trillion yuan ($178.42 billion) over the period, reflecting the complementary nature and resilience of bilateral trade cooperation.