China, EU can resolve trade differences through dialogue

China and the European Union can resolve their trade differences through dialogue, and such differences should not affect the overall development of bilateral relations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

Mao made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked about Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent visit to four Eurasian countries and the message China had conveyed to Europe amid growing trade frictions.

Wang attended the seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and visited Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria from Oct 14 to 20.

Mao said the most important message of Wang's trip was that trust is the foundation of peace, friendship is a valuable asset, cooperation is a strong driving force, and partnership is a shared goal.

She said Wang had emphasized that China's foreign policy is to build partnerships rather than alliances and pursue dialogue rather than confrontation.

China-EU relations have remained generally healthy and stable, Mao said, adding that differences over economic and trade issues have emerged as cooperation between the two sides has continued to deepen.

China and the EU share extensive common interests, support multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations, and advocate political solutions to international and regional disputes through dialogue, she said.

The two sides should respect and appreciate each other, work for mutual success and jointly shoulder international responsibilities for world peace and development, Mao added.