China, EU should keep open attitude and reject protectionism, says Chinese foreign minister: state media

BEIJING (Reuters) – China and the European Union (EU) should continue to maintain an “open attitude” and “reject protectionism,” Chinese state media said on Monday, citing Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

State-backed Xinhua quoted Wang as saying that China has consistently supported the EU’s strategic independence and European integration and that both sides should maintain an “open attitude, firmly support free trade, reject protectionism and achieve the positive aspects of China-EU cooperation. .

“China-EU cooperation overcomes differences and the two sides are partners rather than rivals,” Wang said.

Wang’s comments come days after the European Commission launched a investigation last week on whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU carmakers against imports of Chinese electric vehicles that it says benefit from excessive state subsidies.

The remarks were made during Wang’s meeting with his Maltese counterpart Ian Borg on Saturday, in which China and Malta agreed to work together to promote cooperation between China and the European Union, Xinhua said.

China hopes that Malta will continue to play a positive role in the development of China-EU relations, Wang said.

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.