Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says Beijing wants to work with the European Union (EU) on a range of issues.
He expressed these views in a German newspaper ahead of his trip to Brussels this week.
Li begins his Europe tour from April 8 to 12 to attend the 21st China-EU leaders' meeting, the eighth leaders' meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in Croatia and pay an official visit to the country.
Europe is the destination of the premier's first foreign visit this year.
"We emphatically support the European integration process in the hope of a united and prosperous Europe," wrote Li, adding that Beijing's close cooperation with eastern European states was advantageous for a balanced development within the EU.
Li wrote that China is ready to work closely with Europe in upholding the Paris Climate Agreement, supporting sustainable development, retaining the international nuclear deal with Iran and fighting terrorism.
Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, said another "warm spring" for the development of China-EU relations is coming.
The EU is China's largest trading partner. In 2018, trade between China and the EU exceeded 682 billion U.S. dollars and set a new record, meaning the volume between the two sides surpassed one million dollars every minute on average.
Last year, the EU issued a strategy for better connecting Europe and Asia, in which China is clearly identified as an important partner for the EU.
