China-EU Summit strengthens mutual political trust, says Croatia's former president

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who are in China for the 24th China-EU Summit, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

China is "indispensable" in tackling the most important and thorny international issues, Josipovic said.

ZAGREB, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The summit of China and the European Union (EU) is significant for strengthening mutual political trust and bilateral cooperation and further efforts need to be made to improve bilateral ties, Croatia's former president Ivo Josipovic told Xinhua in an interview.

The China-EU Summit was an opportunity work towards restoring mutual political trust and "nothing should stand in the way" of that effort, Josipovic said.

The relationship between China and Europe is also important for world peace, especially in light of the increasingly turbulent situation in Ukraine and the Middle East.

China is "indispensable" in tackling the most important and thorny international issues, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who are in China for the 24th China-EU Summit, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

Josipovic agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has said that China and Europe should not view each other as rivals.

"We should not view each other as rivals just because our systems are different, reduce cooperation because competition exists, or engage in confrontation because there are disagreements," Xi said on Thursday while meeting with Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who were in Beijing to attend the 24th China-EU Summit.

"I see Europe and China as partners, not rivals, and their common interests far outweigh their differences," Josipovic said.

"The China-EU Summit was an opportunity for that, and I expect that new trust will be established, which will also open a new chapter in bilateral cooperation," Josipovic said.

A China-Europe freight train, which set out from Duisburg, Germany, carrying exhibits for the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) arrives in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)