President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that relations between China and the European Union matter to the peace, stability and prosperity of the world, and he called on both sides to be partners of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, both of whom are in Beijing for the 24th China-EU Summit to be held on Thursday.

Xi said that since the end of last year, China-EU relations have shown a good momentum of consolidation and development, which is in line with the interests and expectations of both sides.

Against the backdrop that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, China and the EU, as two major forces promoting multipolarity, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations advocating diversity, have the responsibility to jointly provide greater stability to the world, inject more impetus into global development, and play a greater role in leading and supporting the global governance, he said.

Xi urged both sides to continuously enhance political mutual trust, consolidate strategic consensus, expand common interests, eliminate various disturbances, and enhance dialogue and cooperation for the benefit of the people of both sides.

He also underlined the need for both sides to jointly address global challenges and promote world stability and prosperity.