Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that, as agreed between China and the EU, President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit China on Thursday. President Xi Jinping will meet with them. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang and the two EU leaders will jointly chair the 25th China-EU Summit. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations, there is keen international attention on which areas of consensus the two sides will reach.

Given the current complex situation, it is easy to expect that there are many specific topics that China and the EU need to discuss. This underscores the importance of rising above individual topics and focusing on the "methodology" of problem-solving - to fundamentally advance China-EU relations. In doing so, it is crucial to draw on the valuable experience of the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

China and the EU have achieved remarkable results over the past 50 years of cooperation, which in itself demonstrates that they are partners for mutual success. During this period, the two sides have continuously deepened political mutual trust, expanded mutually beneficial cooperation, and upheld multilateralism, establishing over 70 consultation and dialogue mechanisms and enriching the political substance of their bilateral relationship. The annual trade volume has surged from $2.4?billion at the time diplomatic ties were established to $785.8?billion last year, while cumulative mutual investment stock has grown from nearly zero to around $260?billion. Meanwhile, cooperation in people-to-people exchanges and responses to global challenges has also yielded significant results. In 2014, President Xi made a historic visit to the EU headquarters, proposing the creation of four major partnerships - peace, growth, reform, and civilization - thereby bringing new meaning to the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and charting a course for the further development of their relationship.

As the world's second- and third-largest economies, China and the EU must view expanding mutually beneficial cooperation as a necessity, not an option. China's comprehensive pursuit of Chinese modernization, commitment to high?quality development, and expansion of high?level opening?up present historic development opportunities for European businesses. Chinese investment in Europe creates hundreds of thousands of local jobs. Meanwhile, China-EU collaboration on green and tech innovation is accelerating Europe's digital and green transitions. The China-Europe Railway Express acts as a "steel camel" caravan, reliably maintaining supply chains.

President Xi pledged to increase the number of French students studying in China to over 10,000 and double the scale of European youth exchanges within the next three years, and China has implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for 32 European countries, including 24 EU member states. Last year, over 9.7 million people traveled between China and Europe, strengthening the public foundation of China-Europe relations and promoting mutual learning and exchange between Chinese and European civilizations. China and the EU play a key role in upholding multilateralism and advancing a more fair and equitable global governance system.

China has consistently supported European integration and the EU's efforts to strengthen its strategic autonomy, while also expecting the EU to demonstrate with concrete actions its respect for China's core interests. The essence of China-Europe cooperation is mutual benefit. Narratives claiming that one side "gained an advantage" or "suffered a loss" in the bilateral relationship distort historical facts. After 50 years of development, China-EU relations have become one of the most influential bilateral partnerships in the world, delivering prosperity to nearly two billion people, setting a model for cooperation in a globalized era, and contributing significantly to global peace and development. This relationship not only bolsters each side's development but also strengthens their collective voice on global issues, reinforcing the foundations of economic globalization and multilateralism.

China and the EU naturally differ in social systems, cultures, and development levels; thus, it is inevitable that differences will arise. However, differences should not be seen as grounds for enmity, nor should they lead to confrontation. Europe is currently facing multiple challenges, but these challenges have neither originated from China in the past, nor do they now or will they in the future. Early this year, President Xi had a phone call with President of the European Council Costa and emphasized that the more severe and complex the international situation becomes, the more China and the EU should adhere to the original aspirations of establishing diplomatic relations, strengthen strategic communication, enhance strategic mutual trust, and uphold the positioning of partnership.

A healthy and stable China-EU relationship not only benefits both sides but also brings light to the world. As two major forces advancing multipolarity, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations advocating diversity, as long as China and the EU choose dialogue and cooperation, bloc confrontation will not take shape; as long as they choose openness and mutual benefit, the trend of economic globalization will not be reversed.

At a time when humanity once again stands at a crossroads in history, China and the EU must uphold the spirit of mutual respect, equality, and win-win cooperation, strengthen dialogue and communication, seek the greatest common ground of shared interests, continuously enhance strategic mutual trust, advance practical cooperation across all fields, jointly safeguard the post-war international order, provide greater certainty to a world fraught with turmoil, and make greater contributions to the progress of human civilization.