Wen calls for China-EU ties to be more strategic, comprehensive and stable

NANJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday that the China-EU relations should be more strategic, comprehensive and stable.

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 12th China-EU summit held in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

Wen, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, co-chaired the one-day meeting, which was expected to focus on Sino-EU relations and global issues, including economic recovery and climate change.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Wen said the summit had drawn the attention of the international community at a time when the global challenges were increasingly prominent and the world was undergoing dramatic changes and adjustments.

The current situation demanded China-EU ties be more strategic, comprehensive and stable. They should expand consensus on major issues that concerned the development of the world community, and deepen cooperation in such areas of politics, economics and culture, he said.

"The two sides should also make sure they are on the right path for sustainable development," he said

"I hope to have a candid and in-depth talks with the EU leaders. We need to make concerted efforts to ensure the meeting is a success, which could manifest resolutions of both sides on jointly coping with challenges and achieving common development," he said.

"It is of great significance for both China and the EU, and will influence the world in a constructive way," he added.

Reinfeldt, for his part, said China's remarkable social and economic achievements and its contribution to the world economy was very impressive.

He said the EU hoped to exchange views with China during the summit on how to further promote EU-China relations.

Initiated in 1998, the China-EU summit is the highest-level political consultation mechanism between the two sides.