On July 13, 2026, the Mission of China to the EU and Europe Jacques Delors co-hosted a seminar on China-EU Cooperation on Green Transition in Brussels. Ambassador Cai Run, Head of the Mission of China to the European Union attended the seminar and delivered opening remarks. The full text of Ambassador Cai’s remarks is below:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Good morning! It is a great pleasure to join you today for this exchange of views. Today’s event is of great significance for exploring opportunities for China-EU cooperation on green transition, including green shipping, enhancing mutual understanding and trust, and promoting the development of China-EU relations. On behalf of the Chinese Mission to the EU, I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the convening of this event. I also wish to warmly welcome all the distinguished guests, and express my heartfelt appreciation to Europe Jacques Delors for organizing this event, and to friends from all sectors who have long supported the development of China-EU relations.
The year 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties, a milestone of great significance for this relationship. In July 2025, President Xi Jinping met with President António Costa and President Ursula von der Leyen during their joint visit to China. The leaders had in-depth discussions on the development of China-EU relations and reached important common understandings, thus charting the way forward and providing strategic guidance for this relationship. Premier Li Qiang and the two EU presidents co-chaired the 25th China-EU Leaders’ Meeting, which produced positive outcomes and gave strong impetus to the development of our relations. During the visit, the two sides issued the Joint statement on climate change by Chinese and EU leaders, further building consensus, strengthening cooperation, and demonstrating leadership in addressing the global challenge of climate change. Prior to that, Executive Vice-President Ribera and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang co-chaired the Sixth China-EU High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue, which achieved a series of important outcomes and laid the political groundwork for the adoption of the Joint statement.
This year marks the beginning of the second 50 years of China-EU relations, and the relationship now stands at an important crossroads. Since the beginning of the year, China and the EU have held dialogues and consultations on water policy, public health, maritime affairs, the environment, customs, and trade and investment, maintaining close exchanges across a wide range of fields. Practical cooperation has continued to deepen and achieved new progress. At the same time, China-EU relations also face certain difficulties and challenges, including differences and frictions in the economic and trade field. The world today is undergoing profound changes and turbulence. As two major forces in building a multipolar world, two big markets supporting globalization, and two great civilizations advocating diversity, China and the EU enjoy a relationship of greater strategic significance and global relevance. China hopes that the EU will work with us in the same direction, remain committed to the positioning of partnership, uphold cooperation as the defining feature of our relationship, and resolve economic and trade differences through dialogue and consultation. China stands ready to work with the EU to implement the important common understandings reached by our leaders, seize opportunities, address challenges, and promote the sound and steady development of our relationship.
Multilateralism is the greatest unifying consensus between China and the EU. Both sides are advocates and practitioners of multilateralism. Both are committed to upholding the U.N.-centered international system and the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and promoting a more just and equitable global governance system. China and the EU also attach great importance to global climate governance and are both active participants and important contributors in this field. This year marks the beginning of a new decade for the Paris Agreement. Both sides are committed to advancing its implementation and look forward to COP31 sending a strong signal in support of multilateralism and accelerated climate action. China is ready to work with the EU to make greater contributions to addressing global challenges such as climate change.
Green is the defining color of China-EU cooperation. The two sides are actively advancing green development and both are pioneers and leaders in the global green transition. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has made remarkable achievements in green development. We have included the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into the overall framework of ecological civilization and national economic and social development. We have established the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system. Today, more than 90 percent of China’s newly installed power generation capacity comes from clean energy, and nearly four out of every ten units of electricity generated are green electricity. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan identifies green development as a key priority, and calls for making coordinated efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, pursue green development, and boost economic growth. We have also noted that the EU is advancing its green and digital transitions as key drivers of competitiveness. China and the EU share many converging interests in advancing the green transition, and our cooperation enjoys a solid foundation and broad prospects. China is ready to further deepen and expand cooperation with the EU in such areas as low-carbon transition, the circular economy and green shipping. Together, we can make the pie of green cooperation bigger, leverage our respective strengths, and achieve greater mutual benefit at a higher level.
Europe Jacques Delors is one of the leading European think tanks, and its research on sustainable development and environmental policy has attracted wide attention. The Chinese Mission to the EU highly values the Institute’s role and looks forward to strengthening our exchanges and cooperation. We also encourage experts and friends present today to share your expertise and insights, and to contribute to advancing China-EU green cooperation and global green development.
To conclude, I wish today’s event a complete success.
Thank you.