BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua)
-- Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in
Berlin for an official visit, opening
up a historic opportunity to firm
up China's cooperation with Germany
and the European Union (EU) at
large.
The China-Germany relationship
is now in its best shape in
history, and their fruitful practical
cooperation has evolved into a paragon
of China-West interaction.
A
telling illustration of the Beijing-Berlin
close rapport is their intergovernmental
consultation mechanism, which arches over
dozens of dialogue and communication
channels and represents the highest
level of its kind between China
and the West.
With China
being Germany's largest trading
partner in the Asia-Pacific region and
Germany being China's in Europe,
bilateral cooperation has reached an
unprecedentedly high level.
Yet
they can do more. For starters,
China's rapid stride toward
industrialization, informatization, urbanization and
agricultural modernization, together with its
unswerving commitment to opening-up, promises
a bonanza of
opportunities.
Thus the Chinese
premier's ongoing visit marks a
momentous chance for the two sides
to unlock their enormous potential and
bring more concrete benefits to their
peoples.
The opportunity is for
the broader EU, too. Given
Germany's leading role in the
EU and the scale of China-Germany
trade -- now accounting for nearly one
third of the China-EU total, the
traction of zippier Beijing-Berlin
cooperation will be felt across
Europe.
With the debt-ridden
continent still trying to get back
on its feet and the world
economy reeling from alarming uncertainties,
China-EU collaboration has taken on an
extra layer of urgency.
A
vigorous Europe and a stable euro
accord with China's interest. By
joining hands together, the Asian
giant and the European block can
not only galvanize their own growth
but contribute more to world
development.
China and Europe
vary in many aspects, and their
interaction cannot be friction-free. However,
they should handle their differences
and even disputes properly and prevent
minor controversies from hindering overall
relations. They have the vision and
wisdom to do so.
It is
truly regrettable and detrimental that
the European Commission has recently
resorted to trade measures against
Chinese products, including a planned
punitive tax on solar panels and
a proposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy
probe into mobile telecom
equipment.
Protectionism harms all.
The EU should resist the temptation
of anticompetitive measures, and work
with China to advocate free trade
and oppose protectionism in all its
forms.
Meanwhile, benign competition
is not a zero-sum game. The two
highly complementary economies can make
full use of their respective
advantages and make a bigger cake
to share between them.
（Editor：ChenLidan、Wang
Jinxue）
