Euractiv.com with Reuters Est. 2min 22-02-2024 Content-Type: News Service News Service Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to journalistic standards. China's Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi awaits for the arrival of Spain's King Felipe VI ahead of their meeting at La Zarzuela Royal Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2024. Wang Yi visits Spain for the first time in six years. [EPA-EFE/KIKO HUESCA] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Print Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram This article is part of our special report EU-China relations 2024: what lies ahead?.China said it sees Europe as increasingly viewing the country with a “rational perception,” and that Europe should “not be afraid of it,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. “I feel that Europe’s rational perception of China is increasing, believing that China’s development is in line with the logic of history and that Europe should not be afraid of it, let alone reject it,” Wang said in an interview transcript his ministry released late on Wednesday (21 February). Wang, who recently visited and met with a host of leaders from Germany, Spain and France, told Europe that in the bloc’s move to de-risk and cut dependence, it should not eliminate cooperation or reduce mutual trust. “Interdependence based on mutual trust is conducive to the complementary advantages of all parties and is conducive to accelerating common development,” he said in the interview with Chinese media. Europe has been pursuing a de-risking strategy and reducing dependency on China particularly for critical minerals, citing a lesson from reliance on Russian gas which Moscow cut after its invasion of Ukraine. The bloc has reiterated it does not mean to decouple from China. Wang said the European side is positive about strengthening China-European Union exchanges at all levels, and is “very enthusiastic” about deepening practical cooperation. He said Europe hopes for more concrete outcomes from cooperation in economy and trade, energy, green, digital, education and people exchanges. “China will continue to make efforts in relaxing market access, benchmarking international trade rules, and clearing up barriers for foreigners to come to China,” Wang said. Read more with Euractiv Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza's Rafah, humanitarian aid dries upIsrael intensified its bombardment of Rafah in Gaza's south and over a dozen members of one family were killed in an air strike, residents said, as the ruined Palestinian enclave's health ministry announced 29,313 deaths in the war so far.
