BEIJING -- China backs the EU's efforts to tackle the sovereign debt crisis and hopes the EU will take tangible measures to restore market confidence, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here on Tuesday.

Yang made the remarks during his meeting with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, who is also vice-president of the European Commission.

China and the EU should further expand and deepen practical cooperation,Yang said, noting that the two sides share the same or similar development goals and strategies.

China attaches great importance to the development of relations between China and the EU and backs the EU's efforts to deal with the sovereign debt crisis, Yang said.

Ashton said the EU is discussing how to deal with the debt crisis and expressed thanks for China's understanding and support, stressing that the EU takes relations between the two sides seriously.

The EU admires the achievements China has made and is willing to cooperate with China more closely to meet global challenges and promote common development, Ashton said.