Opening remarks by President António Costa at the meeting with Premier of China Li Qiang
European Council / Council of the European Union
European Council
Statements and remarks
24 July 2025 10:00
Mr. Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to be here with you, together with President von der Leyen, after an excellent summit with President Xi this morning.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. Over this period, economic and people-to-people ties have increased exponentially, bringing prosperity to both sides.
Being key trading partners, means that our economies and our societies have become closely interlinked. The European Union and China also cooperate to move forward the multilateral environmental agenda.
We also have a number of concerns to address. Earlier today we discussed at length with President Xi our expectations for China to use its influence as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to bring an end to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
We also touched upon the need to progress on issues related to trade and economy. We would like to work further on making sure that our economic relationship is balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial.
EU-China trade has grown increasingly one-sided, and this is not sustainable. It is in our mutual interest that our trade relations are balanced and fair, to benefit current and future generations. We hope to go through other sectors of bilateral cooperation and how the EU and China can tackle global challenges.
To conclude, we are committed to deepening our bilateral partnership and pursuing constructive and stable relations, anchored in respect for the rules-based international order, balanced engagement and reciprocity. We are ready to make progress in addressing concerns with goodwill and honesty and working together to uphold multilateralism.
Thank you.
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