Visiting European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi said in Beijing Wednesday that the European Union (EU) hopes China to role as a big country matching its current national power and international influence.  

When addressing the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Prodi said to maintain peace and stability is of common interests to both China and Europe. China has played an "increasingly active role in international organizations and multilateral activities, notably in the United Nations and the six-party talks aimed at defusing the dangerous crisis on the Korean Peninsula".

"The EU and China share a deep commitment to multilateralism, and we hope to intensify our dialogue in this area," said Prodi. The two sides increasingly exchange views and frequently co-ordinate positions on international issues and global challenges, such as terrorism, non-proliferation and regional conflicts. By raising the level of cooperation, the two sides also strengthened contacts at all levels, which showed "how intimate and constructive our relationship has become."

Prodi stressed a clear consensus reached by him and the Chinese leaders that EU-China relations have never been in better shape. "This is only the beginning. Developing a comprehensive, robust and enduring relationship with China is one of the EU's top foreign policy priorities for the 21st century."

CASS President Chen Kuiyuan, who is also vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said China and Europe as the two birthplaces of human civilizations, have a long history of contact. They have left deep marks in each other's social and historical progress, and together made great contribution to the world.

China and EU, facing the great changes of today's world, should shoulder the responsibility to jointly maintain the world's peace and development for a bright future of all human beings, said Chen.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2004)