Vice FM: China and EU -- indispensable partners

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- China and the EU are indispensable partners in each other's development, China's Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao said Thursday during an interview ahead of the upcoming 14th China-EU leaders' meeting.

Song said the EU is the regional political and economic entity with the highest concentration of developed countries. China has been strategically developing its ties with the EU with a long-term view, he said, adding that a stable and growing EU contributes to world peace and prosperity.

Under the current complicated international situation, China and the EU share broader mutual interests and are more dependent on each other, Song said, adding that the relationship is at a new starting point.

"China is willing to promote the relationship to a higher level by strengthening understanding and trust and broadening dialogue and cooperation," he said.

Song said the 14th China-EU leaders' meeting was scheduled to take place in October 2011 but was postponed for the European Union Summit.

"We have noticed that the EU has made considerable efforts to cope with the debt issues and put forward solutions. China supports a stable euro and is confident about it," he said.