Establishment of the Europe–China Economic Cooperation and Development Council: Building Consensus for Europe–China Cooperation and Creating a Practical Bridge Between Europe and China

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.