Last month, I attended the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing. This congress elected the new CPC central leadership with comrade Xi Jinping at its core and set the direction for China's future.
A key political message of the Congress is that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, giving the Chinese people greater confidence about the path that they are taking.
I am deeply convinced that the Congress is of paramount importance to the CPC and China's development, and will have far-reaching impact on the whole world as well. I am certain that the Congress is going to bring new opportunities to China-Europe relations.
In the new era, China's economy prefers high quality to high speed. We are aiming for better quality, higher efficiency and more robust drivers of growth through reform.
A strategic goal of China's development is to build a modernized economy featuring higher total factor productivity, stronger innovation and greater competitiveness.
We will apply a new vision of development with a focus on supply-side structural reforms. We will promote a new type of industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization in a synchronized manner, further improve the socialist market economy and bring economic openness to a higher level.
In the new era, China is more than ever determined and devoted to advance reform across the board and promote development through higher-standard opening-up.
As President Xi Jinping put it, China benefits from, and more importantly, contributes to economic globalization, as China's development presents opportunities to the whole world. In the course of opening up, China never plays a zero-sum game, never domineers over others and never seeks selfish interests at others' expense.
What China aspires is win-win cooperation. China will not close its door to the outside; it will only take further actions to become more and more open.
In the new era, China will make more efforts to help build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, security and common prosperity for all.
Peace has always been part of China's DNA since ancient times. China will remain committed to the path of peaceful development and will always be a contributor to world peace.
Guided by a win-win strategy of opening-up, China seeks to work with other countries to expand converging interests and promote a new type of international relations. The challenges facing our world are such that no country can tackle all on its own. That is why we must all come together and foster a community with a shared future for mankind.
Europe is a major force in the world. China places great importance on Europe, considers Europe as a diplomatic priority and continues to give firm support to the European integration process. China embracing a brighter future in the new era means new opportunities for the growth of China-Europe relations.
China and Europe need to work more closely for world peace. China will work with Europe in the spirit of the UN Charter to facilitate the settlement of disputes and turmoil through dialogue and consultation, and promote peace and development for all.
China and Europe enjoy immense possibilities for pragmatic cooperation. China and the EU trade more than US$ 1 million with every passing minute.
Chinese investment creates a large number of local jobs for Europeans. Our people-to-people exchanges are close, as marked by more than 600 flights between the two sides every week and over 6.6 million mutual visits last year alone.
The 2018 China-EU Tourism Year will see even more interactions.
China is ready to engage more closely with Europe to forge synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Europe's development strategies, fully implement the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, and enhance cooperation on the five platforms (namely co-investment vehicle, connectivity platform, digitization, migration and mobility dialogue and legal affairs dialogue).
China and Europe could join hands in safeguarding international order.
Both sides uphold multilateralism and strive to be a force for international rules and system. The two sides have worked closely to tackle climate change, the Iranian nuclear issue, among other regional and global challenges. And both stand to contribute to common development in the world.
In global governance, China is committed to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. China hopes to collaborate with Europe to reform and improve the global governance regime and work out better solutions to the challenges both face.
Europe is, as always, an important partner as China forges ahead on a new journey in the new era. The two sides may step up cooperation with a more open mind to substantiate the China-EU partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization and bring greater benefits to people in Europe and China.
H.E. Ambassador Zhang Ming is head of the Chinese Mission to the EU.
H.E. Ambassador Zhang Ming is head of the Chinese Mission to the EU.