On September 14, 2025, during the 2025 Legislators Forum for Friendly Exchanges, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) held the "Dialogue with Legislators of EU Countries" in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. President Yang Wanming of the CPAFFC attended the event and delivered a keynote speech. EU representatives included Ettore Licheri, Vice President of the Commission for Foreign Policy and Defense of the Italian Senate; Titus Corl??ean, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania; Hugo Carneiro, President of the Portugal-China Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Portuguese Parliament; Georgios Vrettakos, Member of the Hellenic Parliament; Manfred Grund, Former Member of the German Bundestag; and Sergejs Potapkins, Former Chairman of the Latvia-China Friendship Group of the Latvian Parliament. Chinese representatives included Ye Zhenqin, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress; Zheng Jun, Counselor of the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Deputy to the National People's Congress; Zhang Jian, Vice President of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations; and Zong Bo, Director of the International Department of the Management Committee of Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark. The dialogue centered on the theme "China and EU Joining Hands, Harmony and Cooperation for Mutual Benefit—China-EU Sustainable Development and Green Cooperation", and the participants held in-depth discussions. David Carter, Former Speaker of New Zealand, Chen Jing, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, along with around 100 representatives from national legislatures participating in the forum, as well as scholars, think tank experts, and figures from the political, academic, and business communities, attended the meeting. Yuan Mindao, Vice President of the CPAFFC, presided over the meeting.
President Yang Wanming noted that 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. Over the past five decades, China and the EU have achieved fruitful results in exchanges and cooperation, benefiting not only both sides but also the wider world. A key lesson from this experience is the consistent commitment to mutual respect, seeking common ground while accommodating differences, openness and cooperation, and mutual benefit. Amid accelerating global changes and a complex international environment, China and the EU—two major forces for advancing multipolarity, two leading markets supporting globalization, and two great civilizations championing diversity—should maintain partnership, uphold openness and cooperation, and practice multilateralism. By steering their relationship in the right direction, both sides can provide the world with greater stability and predictability. President Xi Jinping's recently proposed Global Governance Initiative offers guidance for China and the EU to jointly uphold multilateralism and tackle global challenges. Sustainable development and green cooperation have become the most dynamic aspects of China-EU relations, serving as both a stabilizing bond and an area of immense potential. Standing at a new historical starting point, the two sides should act as advocates of green consensus, partners in green cooperation, and drivers of a Green Silk Road. Guided by the concept of "win-win cooperation through harmony", two sides should work together to usher in a brighter future for China-EU relations.
Participants from both China and the EU focused on global challenges, reflected on historical experience, and explored prospects for future cooperation. They engaged in substantive exchanges on ecological development concepts, green transition investment, and supporting legal and regulatory frameworks. The participants agreed that as key actors and leaders in global sustainable development, China and the EU should strengthen consensus and deepen cooperation at a higher level. They stressed the importance of injecting new momentum into the global green transition and sustainable development, while making active contributions to world peace and progress.
