On the afternoon of March 31, Pan Feng, President of ECECDC, held a working meeting with Yao Lin, Chairman of China Mineral Resources Group Co., Ltd. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on issues including the security of mineral resources supply, industrial chain coordination, and central–local cooperation, and jointly explored pathways for cooperative development.
On March 28, President of ECECDC, met in Beijing with Lajos Olah, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, and his delegation, and held a working meeting. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on China–Hungary economic and trade relations, two-way investment cooperation, and industrial and supply chain connectivity. They reached broad consensus on further leveraging their respective strengths, building more platforms for practical cooperation, and promoting the sustained and stable development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
During the establishment of the Europe–China Economic Cooperation and Development Council (ECECDC), Pan Feng, President of the Council, held meetings and discussions with a number of former European leaders, including former President of the European Council Charles Michel, former Prime Minister of Hungary Péter Medgyessy, former Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi, former Prime Minister of France Michel Barnier, former Prime Minister of Romania Adrian Năstase, former Prime Minister of Romania Viorica Dăncilă, former Prime Minister of Finland Mari Kiviniemi, former Prime Minister of Sweden Fredrik Reinfeldt, and former Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović. The participants conducted in-depth exchanges on topics including strengthening Europe–China economic and trade cooperation, expanding exchanges across multiple sectors, and jointly addressing global development challenges, while building broad consensus on future cooperation.
During the discussions, all participants highly commended the establishment of ECECDC, noting that its creation carries far-reaching significance and provides an important platform for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and China. Pan Feng introduced the original vision and development goals of the Council, noting that Europe and China, as important forces promoting global multipolarity and two major markets supporting economic globalization, share a strong foundation for cooperation and broad prospects for future development. He emphasized that the Council will place practical cooperation at its core, actively building bridges of mutual trust and connectivity between Europe and China, exploring diverse forms and areas of collaboration, and contributing to the advancement of Europe–China economic and trade cooperation toward a higher level and higher quality.
Former European leaders from various countries also expressed strong willingness to deepen cooperation between Europe and China. They acknowledged the vitality and potential of China’s economic development, as well as the new opportunities created by new quality productive forces for Europe–China cooperation. They noted that there is extensive room for collaboration in areas such as new energy manufacturing, sustainable development, and industrial synergy. All parties expressed hope that the establishment of the Council will serve as an opportunity to further strengthen exchanges between European and Chinese civil societies, governments, and business communities, thereby injecting new momentum from Europe and China into the stability and development of the global economy.
The Europe–China Economic Cooperation and Development Council (ECECDC) was officially established in Spain in May 2024, with former Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero serving as its Founding Chairman. The Council aims to promote more positive and effective cooperation between Europe and China at multiple levels of society and to support both sides in becoming key contributors to global peace, cooperation, and shared progress.
On the morning of March 6, Pan Feng, President of ECECDC, held a working meeting with Feng Zhongping, Director of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges of views on topics including the current situation in Europe, the development of China–EU relations, practical China–EU economic and trade cooperation, and enhanced coordination between think tanks and industry associations, reaching a number of shared understandings.
