China-EU cooperation vital for inclusive global growth
February 5, 2025
BEIJING – The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU). At a time when global economic growth is slowing and the return of Donald Trump to the White House has heightened instability and uncertainty, China and the EU—as two of the world’s largest economies and staunch supporters of economic globalization and trade liberalization—can offer stability and certainty for inclusive global economic growth through strengthened cooperation.
China and the EU are each other’s key economic and trade partners. Amid a complex and severe international landscape, fraught with risks and uncertainties, China-EU economic and trade cooperation has continued to develop rapidly, demonstrating remarkable resilience.
In terms of bilateral trade, according to China’s customs, the total import and export of goods between China and the EU in 2024 was US$785.8 billion, up 0.4 percent year on year, of which China’s exports to the EU amounted to US$516.4 billion, up 3.0 percent year on year, and imports from the EU stood at US$269.4 billion, down 4.4 percent year on year. The EU is China’s third-largest export destination and second-largest import source; while China remains the EU’s largest import source and third-largest export destination, according European to statistics.
In terms of investment cooperation, two-way investment flows between China and the EU have continued to grow in recent years, demonstrating good momentum. Between 2020 and 2023, EU foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to China rose from US$5.69 billion to US$10.58 billion, with their share of China’s total inward FDI rising from 3.8 percent to 6.5 percent. According to European data, China’s FDI inflows