BEIJING — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the diplomatic envoys to China from the European Union and 27 of its member states on May 17 in Beijing.

Wang said at the meeting that common interests of China and the EU far outweighed the differences. He stressed the importance of making a success of synergizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia.

In the face of complex and changeable international situations, Wang suggested that both sides enhance communication and jointly safeguard the basic norms governing international relations and the rule-based multilateral trade system, as well as work together for advancing human civilization and social progress.

For their part, the head of the EU Delegation to China and the diplomatic envoys to China from the EU member countries said EU and China adhering to multilateralism and promoting free trade not only conform with interests of both sides, but also are of great significance to the stability and development of the world.

The EU side holds positive attitude toward participating in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, they said.