On the afternoon of January 16, 2024 local time, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos.

Li Qiang said that in today's world which is fraught with changes and turbulence, China-EU relations remain stable among major-country relations, which is a result of joint efforts from both sides. As President Xi Jinping noted, China-EU relations bear strategic significance and global influence. Deepening relations with the EU is always a diplomatic priority for China. China is willing to work with the EU to deliver on the important common understandings reached at the China-EU Summit, stay committed to partnership, stick to dialogue and cooperation, pursue mutual benefit and win-win results, and properly handle differences based on the principle of mutual understanding and mutual respect, and make bilateral relations more stable, constructive, reciprocal and global, so as to better promote the prosperity and development of both sides and the world at large.

Li Qiang noted that China stands ready to import more products from the EU that align with market demand, and hopes the EU will relax export restrictions on high-tech products to China. He also hopes that the two sides will work together in the same direction to push for more balanced development in the trade between China and the EU. China will continue to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, and is willing to work with the EU to jointly abide by the basic norms governing the market economy such as free trade, fair competition and open cooperation. He expressed the hope that the EU will uphold justice, compliance and transparency in economic and trade matters, treat Chinese enterprises fairly, and prudently introduce restrictive economic and trade policies and use trade remedy measures. He called on the two sides to take the next meeting of the China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue mechanism as an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in education, science and technology, culture, tourism and other areas, and accelerate the resumption of personnel exchanges, so as to inject new vitality into China-EU relations.

Ursula von der Leyen said the EU appreciates China's continuous and wider opening up to the outside world, and does not intend to decouple from China. The EU is ready to work with China to strengthen dialogue and communication, deepen cooperation in such areas as tackling climate change and promoting the reform of the World Trade Organization, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and push for further development of EU-China relations.