Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

A growing number of European enterprises are opting to deepen their presence in China and expand local operations here, which in itself stands as the most powerful rebuttal to the so-called "de-risking" narrative, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday, responding to a question about reports that the EU is expected to unveil new trade-restrictive tools targeting China in mid-June, while the latest survey by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China showed that 68 percent of European companies have chosen to stay in or expand their business in China.

Mao noted that China-EU economic and trade cooperation stems from shared interests and is, in essence, the result of the combined effect of comparative advantages and market competition. Complementary strengths are not risks, and integrated interests are not threats. 

Over the past more than 50 years, annual trade between China and the EU has grown by more than 300 times, while two-way investment has approached $260 billion, fully demonstrating the strong momentum and broad prospects of China-EU cooperation, Mao said.

"Trade protectionism runs counter to economic laws and harms others without benefiting oneself. We hope the EU side will view China-EU economic and trade relations in an objective and rational manner, work with China to shorten the list of problems, expand the pie of cooperation, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes," the spokesperson said.

Global Times