Beijing
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany as part of his European tour from August 25 to September 1, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday.
“At the invitation of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Soreide, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will pay official visits to Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany from August 25 to September 1,” Zhao said at a briefing.
The spokesman noted that the trip to Europe would be the foreign minister’s first overseas travel after the outbreak of the coronavirus, which shows the importance attached to China-European relations by both sides.
Through this visit, China expects to advance major political and economic agenda of bilateral relations, deepen cooperation on combating the pandemic and discuss further interaction in emerging sectors like the digital economy and green economy, the diplomat added.
In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, China and Europe offered each other support and assistance in the spirit of pulling together to get through hard times. President Xi Jinping maintained regular communication with leaders of the EU and European countries through video-conference, telephone and correspondence. The 22nd China-EU Summit was successfully held through video link. As this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, the two sides’ joint efforts in promoting China-Europe and international anti-epidemic cooperation have enriched the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
As Covid-19 adds to the instability and uncertainties in the international landscape, it is of even greater significance for China and Europe, two major forces, markets and civilizations in the world, to work together on strengthening international solidarity against the pandemic, upholding multilateralism, and jumpstarting the world economy.
