BRUSSELS, March 18 -- China and the European Union (EU) should take President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit as a "never greater" opportunity to lift their relations to a new height, the head of the Chinese mission to the EU said in an article published Tuesday.

Although China and the EU are already enjoying one of the world's most "dynamic trading relationships," the two sides still have much to offer to each other and the world, Yang Yanyi said in the article carried by the Brussels-based Parliament Magazine.

"I was very impressed with the achievement made over the past decade in China-EU relations," Yang said.

"We have set in place three pillars underpinning the summit, the annual high-level strategic dialogue, the annual high-level economic and trade dialogue and the bi-annual high-level people-to-people dialogue, which have proven instrumental in promoting mutual understanding and trust," she said.

Yang said China had become the EU's second largest trade partner after the United States and the EU was China's second largest export market.

"I was even more impressed with the importance attached to China-EU relations by both sides," Yang said. "As pointed out by President Xi Jinping, China and the EU are 'two major forces for safeguarding global peace', 'two major markets for promoting common development' and 'two major civilizations for pushing for progress of mankind'."

The Chinese diplomat said both China and the EU, sharing a dream of realizing global peace and prosperity, were committed to their shared responsibility to promote peace, prosperity and sustainable development for the benefit of all.

The two sides were also committed to consolidating and developing mutually beneficial cooperation, she said.

Yang said both China and the EU were committed to working together toward the implementation of the China-EU 2020 strategic agenda for cooperation, adopted at their last summit, while China was fully deepening reform and moving toward the goal of becoming a moderately prosperous society and the EU was striving for reform and advancing the integration process.

"Our embarkation on the road of the second decade of strategic partnership will be jump-started by the first ever visit to the EU by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month," she said. "There is no doubt this landmark event will give a stronger boost to China-EU ties and elevate our mutually beneficial cooperation to a new height."

She called on the two sides to deepen mutual trust to push forward their partnership and meet regional and global challenges together.

"China stands ready to consult fully and effectively with the EU on major bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern to build common ground, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and provide strategic support for promoting bilateral relations while safeguarding international peace and development," Yang said.

The ambassador said China and the EU, by firmly anchoring their partnership on mutual trust, aligned interests and common prosperity, had so much to offer each other and the world as a whole.

"With the commitment of our leaders and our peoples, I am fully confident that our relations will sprint forward in 2014, the Chinese Year of the Horse," she said.