BEIJING -- The European Union (EU) is China's largest trading partner and biggest source of high technology, and China welcomes more EU imports, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said here on Friday.

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Wu made the remark in her meeting with visiting EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. She spoke highly of the just-concluded 21st China-EU Economic and Trade Joint Committee meeting, noting that trade issues or disputes between the two sides should be addressed through negotiation and consultation.

"The key concerns of both sides should be taken into consideration", Wu said.

Wu said that trade relations are an important parts of China-EU relationship, stressing that the launch of negotiations on a new, extended Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and the 1985 Trade and Cooperation Agreement is a demonstration of a will to boost trade ties between the two sides.

Mandelson, who arrived in China on Monday for a week-long visit, expressed his appreciation of the efforts made by the Chinese government to foster the China-EU trade cooperation, saying that the economic and trade dialogue between the two countries should be further improved in a bid to make continuous contributions to the bilateral trade relations.