国内英语新闻:China voices continuous support for European integration

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- China backs European efforts for further integration and supports current initiatives by the European Union to tackle the debt crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Wednesday.

Hong told a regular press briefing that China will work with the international community to help stabilize the global financial market and promote the recovery and growth of the world economy.

"We have noted that the EU has made a series of important proposals to address the European sovereign debt crisis and we hope such proposals can work to help stabilize the market, restore market faith and prevent the crisis from deteriorating," Hong added.

Europe's powerhouses France and Germany agreed Monday on a series of reforms aimed at changing the European Union treaty to impose tough controls on eurozone budgets.

The new treaty would include automatic sanctions for states that fail to observe the 3 percent deficit rule, as well as a budget-balancing rule across the eurozone.

New and significant decisions to tackle the crisis might be made during the EU summit to be held from Dec. 8 to 9, Hong predicted.

Leaders from the 27 member states of the European Union will meet in Brussels on Dec. 8-9 to discuss how to resolve the eurozone crisis.