Mutual trust seen as key for development

China, EU must work together to bring stability, certainty to world, forum told

Senior diplomats and business leaders at a recent forum expressed concerns about the rising challenges in economic cooperation between China and the European Union, calling for mutual trust for sustained growth in bilateral trade.

The ninth Europe Forum 2023, which concluded on Thursday, came as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

Over the past two decades, China-EU economic and trade exchanges have been expanding in scale, with trade volume rising nearly ninefold. EU investment in China has almost tripled, while two-way investment stock now exceeds $230 billion, according to Wang Hong, president of the China Europe International Business School, or CEIBS — a business school jointly established by the Chinese government and the EU — the forum's main organizer.