国内英语新闻:China attaches great importance to relations with Europe: Chinese FM

MUNICh, Germany, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Speaking highly of the deepening China-Europe relations over the past decades, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Friday told the Munich Security Conference that a brighter future of bilateral ties calls on both sides to embrace an open and inclusive spirit.

With this year marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, the Chinese top diplomat said China and the EU have established "a comprehensive strategic partnership that is all-dimensional, wide-ranging and multi-tiered" and the changing world "has brought China-EU relations to a new historical starting point."

"To achieve a brighter future (of China-EU relations), we must manage our relations from a strategic and long-term perspective," Yang said. "We must respect each other, treat each other as equals, and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns."

He also expressed the hope that Europe will see China "in a more objective and sensible light" and recognize that China's development is not a challenge but an opportunity.

"We do not expect China and Europe to see eye to eye on each and every issue, and we need not be afraid of our differences," he added.

"As long as we both embrace an open and inclusive spirit, we will have more consensus than differences and more mutual benefits than frictions, and cooperation will be the defining theme of China-EU relations," Yang said.

As to the host country of the security conference, Yang said " China-Germany ties have maintained dynamic growth."

"In the face of the complex international situation and various grave challenges, China and Germany must bear in mind the larger and long-term interests and further enhance mutual trust and cooperation," he said, adding that China is ready to join Germany "in a common effort to elevate our partnership of global responsibility to a higher level."

It was the first appearance of a Chinese foreign minister in the Munich Security Conference's 46-year history.