‘China is a friend indeed for Europe’

China:With the European Union (EU) grappling with its worst financial crisis since the eurozone was set up, China has unequivocally conveyed its readiness to enhance cooperation with the debt-ridden bloc in a “win-win” manner.

“China is willing to enhance cooperation with the EU and expand cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, technology and finance,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news briefing Thursday. Her statement came after European leaders passed early Thursday a package of measures to alleviate the European sovereign debt crisis. Beijing welcomed the EU move and hoped it would be “conductive to bolstering market confidence.”

China’s active attitude was well received in European countries. “If the Chinese... decide to invest in the euro instead of the U.S. dollar, why refuse?” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday.

However, some Westerners failed to fully understand China’s good intention, asserting that the world’s second largest economy would take advantage of the European crisis for its own agenda. Some even went further to drum up trade protectionism.

Actually, a prosperous and stable Europe is important to China’s stability and development, as their economies are closely linked. The EU is China’s largest trading partner and China is the EU’s second largest.

Xinhua