China, EU enjoy strong economic symbiosis: commerce ministry

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) have formed a strong economic symbiosis under the guidance of their respective leaderships, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

In the first 10 months of 2022, China-EU trade value hit 711.4 billion U.S. dollars, up 6.3 percent year on year. China remains the largest trading partner of the EU, and the EU remains China's second-largest trading partner, spokesperson Shu Jueting told a media conference.

Addressing inquiries on what the ongoing visit to China by European Council President Charles Michel would mean for China-EU trade, Shu said China is willing to work with the EU to advance cooperation on a higher level and inject more stability and vitality into the world economy, building on the exchanges between leaders of the two sides.

On the prospects of the China-EU comprehensive investment agreement, Shu said both sides should work together to foster the signing of the deal so that it can benefit people and companies in both China and the EU.