ISTANBUL

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged dialogue and cooperation with the EU, ahead of an upcoming EU leaders' summit in China on July 24-25.

Wang Yi made the remarks during his meeting with Malta's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Ian Borg in Beijing, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang expressed China’s willingness to sustain “high-level” bilateral trust, highlighting the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He called for further “mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, culture and tourism, science and education.”

Wang said the key lesson from 50 years of China-EU relations is that the two sides should be seen as “partners rather than rivals,” taking “dialogue and cooperation” as the base.

For his part, Ian Borg said Malta “highly values its relations with China,” noting that the Maltese side also believes that differences between the two sides should be resolved by “dialogue and consultation.”

China and Malta’s diplomatic ties date back to 1972.​​​​​​​

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's approach to relations with China will be "de-risking" rather than "decoupling."