Cooperation is key to Chinese, EU auto industries: Chinese commerce minister

Cooperation is crucial for the development of the automotive industries in China and the European Union (EU), said Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday.

Wang made the remarks while chairing the China-EU Electric Vehicle (EV) Industrial Chain Enterprises Roundtable, which was attended by leaders from nearly 30 European and Chinese EV, power battery, and parts sectors, as well as related industry associations.

Over the past 40 years, Wang said, automotive cooperation between China and the EU has yielded fruitful results and become deeply integrated.

EU companies have flourished in China, driving the development of China's automotive industrial chain, and China has also provided an open market and a fair competitive environment for European companies.

As for the EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs, Wang said that China will negotiate until the final moments.

Such a move by the EU, Wang noted, will not only hinder China-EU cooperation in the automotive industry and undermine Chinese companies' confidence in investing in Europe, but will also severely affect global cooperation in addressing climate change and significantly damage the multilateral trade order based on WTO rules.

As the automotive industries of China and the EU are now at a critical crossroads, openness and cooperation are the best options, Wang said.

China has developed through reform and opening up and will never stop its opening up, Wang said. He noted the Chinese government firmly supports China-EU business cooperation, opposes "decoupling and breaking chains," and is committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and EU companies operating in China.

A courageous wild giant panda was spotted heroically striving to traverse river rapids at the Dajiangou scenic area in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Tuesday.

The footage, captured by a tourist, shows a chubby body with black and white fur clinging to a boulder mid-river, apparently struggling to maintain its grip. After plunging into the water, the plump creature managed to take hold of a lower rock before waddling its way back up, eventually reaching the shore successfully.

According to the staff at the scenic area, this is not the first time that humans have encountered wild giant pandas in the area. Up to four giant pandas have been observed simultaneously.

The Dajiangou scenic area belongs to the Shaanxi Huangbaiyuan National Nature Reserve.