China-EU relations: Xi tells Macron he hopes Europe can be positive about Beijing

Leaders agree in phone call to cooperate on space exploration projects and tackling the Covid-19 pandemic

Pair say they also hope a China-EU investment agreement can be finalised as soon as possible

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke over the phone on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30pm, 10 Dec 2020Updated: 9:48pm, 10 Dec 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday that he hopes Europe will be positive in its approach to China, while the two leaders agreed to cooperate on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and exploring space.

According to a Xinhua report, Xi said in a telephone conversation that China was committed to the stable development of China-Europe relations “no matter how the international situation changes”.

“We hope Europe can implement positive China policies,” he said.

Both leaders said they shared the hope that a China-EU investment agreement could be finalised as soon as possible, and agreed to actively participate in the World Health Organization-led Covax project, which seeks to ensure the fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world.

They also reiterated their commitment to multilateralism, and working together on lunar and Martian exploration projects, satellite development, biomedicine and biological breeding, and tackling climate change.

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