by Xinhua writers Tian Dongdong, Wang Zichen
BRUSSELS, July 17 (Xinhua) -- German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen was elected on Tuesday as the new president of the European Commission. She is due to take office in November.
Together with the newly elected presidents of the European Parliament and the European Council, Von der Leyen, who will soon assume the top job in the European Union (EU), has shouldered the responsibility of steering the EU against the undercurrent of internal divisions and external challenges to multilateralism and a rules-based international order.
Like their predecessors, the new EU leadership can count on China as a reliable and important partner in safeguarding multilateralism and an open world economy.
More importantly, a stronger China-EU relationship during their tenures will benefit both sides as the world is undergoing profound changes amid growing uncertainties and risks.
Despite their adoption of different political systems and differences on certain issues, China and the EU are not necessarily becoming rivals. Instead, cooperation has already become the mainstay of China-EU relations.
As Von der Leyen and her colleagues are soon to take office, Beijing stands ready to join efforts with Brussels to lift the bilateral relationship to new heights.
Over the years, and particularly in the past five years, the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership has remained steady on the path toward greater development and more pragmatic results.
On trade, the EU is China's largest trading partner while the Asian country is the bloc's second largest trading partner. In 2018, China-EU trade volume hit a record high, exceeding 682 billion U.S. dollars.
As China unswervingly sticks to its decades-long policy of reform and opening-up, the vast Chinese market has generated huge opportunities to European companies.
In 2018 alone, EU investment in China grew by more than 22 percent, with investment from Britain and Germany increasing by 150 percent and 79 percent respectively.
According to a business confidence survey recently released by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, the Chinese market remains a top-three current and future investment destination for 62 percent of respondents, with 56 percent looking to expand their current operations in 2019.
In addition, China-EU cooperation has also yielded fruitful results in a wide range of areas, including finance, research and innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.
The new EU leadership will start their term in office at a time when the rising challenges of unilateralism and protectionism threaten to derail global economy and put world stability at stake.
During her run for the European Commission presidency, Von der Leyen pledged to uphold multilateralism and defend the rules-based order.
While Von der Leyen's stance on the issue will put her in conflict with several EU member states and certain countries outside the bloc, China can be EU's key partners in safeguarding multilateralism.
In fact, China and the EU have already been strengthening coordination and cooperation in the United Nations system and giving full play to the constructive role of the global and regional multilateral mechanisms, including the World Trade Organization.
While differences on some issues inevitably exist between China and the EU, both sides have showed their determination and willingness to promote settlement of disputes through dialogues and consultations.
For both China and the EU, the lifting of the bilateral ties to a new height not only benefits the two sides, but also contributes to world peace and prosperity.
As the two major participants in and contributors to multi-polarity and economic globalization, China and the EU have every reason to bring about more progress of their partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization.
