Onus on EU to promote close ties with China

In the run-up to the G20 summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, in September, Chinese and European leaders will hold intensive talks to create more opportunities and space to boost their trade and other relations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is on her ninth visit to China with the aim of taking Sino-German relations to new heights. But despite China's advanced manufacturing power, which helped Germany to reap benefits by investing in the country for decades, Berlin is still hesitant to acknowledge China as a market economy.

As for the overall relationship between China and the European Union, the two sides have decided to hold their annual summit in July. The decision was taken at a high-level strategic dialogue co-chaired by State Councilor Yang Jiechi and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Brussels on Friday. Besides, EU leaders, including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, will meet with their Chinese counterparts at the Asia-Europe meeting in Mongolia in July and the G20 summit in September.