“The China-Europe cooperation is now entering a new era, with increased importance and promising prospect,” says Cui Hongjian, the director of the Department for European Studies at China Institute of International Studies, stressing a “warm spring” for bilateral relations.

On April 8, Premier Li Keqiang began a trip to Europe, his first overseas trip in 2019. He met EU leaders in Brussels to further the Sino-EU cooperation.

Amidst growing political uncertainty and rising protectionism, both China and Europe have tried their best to safeguard multilateralism and deepen bilateral cooperation, with trade volume between the two sides exceeding $682 billion in 2018. Moreover, the EU has been China’s largest trading partner for the past 15 years, and China now is the second largest trading partner of the EU.

“The reason behind the deepening Sino-European cooperation is the growing importance of the bilateral relationship in the two sides’ diplomatic layout,” Cui said.

Last month, President Xi Jinping paid state visits to Italy, Monaco and France, witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Rome, the first G7 nation to join the China-proposed project. During the visit, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the need to foster a united EU strategy on the BRI.

So far, 15 of the EU’s 28 member states have signed up to the BRI. With its five-year development, the initiative has gained more ground in and received much passion from European countries.

The multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure and trade initiative, launched by China, covers 65 countries and two-thirds of the global population (four billion people), a banner of China’s opening-up. Facing anti-global backlash and global economic slowdown, the BRI can explore the cooperation potentials so as to shore up global economy and improve global governance, Cui said.

According to Cui, the initiative is now entering a new stage with more projects put in practical operation. And this can give European countries more direct clues over the benefits of the initiative, thus attracting them to participate in it. Moreover, upholding the win-win cooperation spirit, the initiative can contribute to the benign development of globalization, which is in line with the interests of European countries, and can attract these countries to play a more active role in the BRI.

With the Sino-European cooperation ushering in a new era, good dynamics between the two over the initiative can not only benefit the European continent, but also bring tangible benefits to the whole world.