Senior CPC leader calls for closer Europe ties

BEIJING, May 17, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with European delegates attending the fifth China-Europe High-Level Political Parties Forum in Beijing, capital of China, May 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Liu Yunshan met with a group of European politicians on Tuesday, calling for closer ties between China and Europe.

"The Chinese party and government attaches great importance to the China-Europe relationship, regarding Europe as an important power in today's world," Liu told his guests, who were in Beijing to attend the Fifth China-Europe High-Level Political Parties Forum.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, briefed the Europeans on China's new development concepts -- innovation, coordination, care for the environment, opening up and sharing, noting that the Belt and Road regional infrastructure and trade initiative is based on openness, inclusiveness and practicality.

The development strategies of China and Europe are compatible with each other and the two sides enjoy great potential for cooperation, said the official.

Also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, Liu said the Chinese side stands ready to work with the European parties on the basis of mutual respect and equality to make use of the forum, which he said was a "strategic" multilateral platform, to promote common development and win-win reciprocity between China and Europe.

Sergey Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and former Bulgarian Prime Minister, said the European side admires China's achievement of reform and opening up as well as the CPC's governance.

Stanishev said China's foreign policy, focused on peace, cooperation, openness and win-win results, is of great significance for the relationship between Europe and China.

According to the Bulgarian politician, Europe and China have more common interests than differences, and the alignment of China's Belt and Road initiative and Europe's development strategy will give play to their complementary advantages and produce good results for both.