China and the European Union (EU) should jointly uphold free and open trade and investment, a spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
With global trade under the impact of the U.S. sweeping tariffs, Lin Jian, the spokesman, said China and the EU have sent out positive signals to the world through a phone call between leaders of the two sides on Tuesday.
"Yesterday, Premier Li Qiang spoke on the phone with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, sending out a positive message to the world. Both China and the EU are advocates of economic globalization and trade liberalization, as well as staunch defenders and supporters of the World Trade Organization. The two sides should jointly uphold free and open trade and investment, maintain the stability and smooth functioning of the global industrial and supply chains so as to provide stability and certainty for both countries' economy as well as the global economy," he said.
On the upcoming China visit by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Lin spoke highly of the China-Spain relations and Spain's role in promoting the China-EU relations.
"Spain is an important economy within the EU and a significant partner of China in the EU. China and Spain have maintained strategic stability in the bilateral relations, and are committing to open cooperation and mutually beneficial win-win outcomes, which has a positive effect on the continuous improvement and the future development of the China-EU relations," said the spokesman.
Sanchez will visit China from April 10 to 11 at the invitation of Li.
China, EU should jointly uphold free trade: spokesman
China, EU should jointly uphold free trade: spokesman
China has launched a new cargo route combining sea-rail intermodal transport with the China-Europe Express service, aiming to speed up delivery of high-tech exports to Europe.
A cargo ship carrying domestically produced goods such as photovoltaic panels and lithium batteries departed from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in eastern China's Zhejiang Province on Wednesday. The shipment is expected to reach Wilhelmshaven, Germany, 26 days after departure. This marks the first shipment from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port under the new "dual-express" model. Domestically, the goods are gathered to the port from inland exporters at Hefei North Railway Station in Anhui Province. Internationally, Germany’s Wilhelmshaven Port serves as a hub to extend distribution across Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Baltic region.
"The transportation time has been reduced from the original 45 days to 30 days, saving 15 days for clients. This provides a good option for some clients with high requirements for transportation timeliness," said Zhang Bangmin, director of the Hefei branch of Hefei Railway Logistics Center.
The European Union is Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's largest trading partner, with its trade with the EU reached 115.92 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2025, up 21.5 percent year on year.
In addition to routes for the China-Europe Express, the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has also opened new routes to South America in the first quarter of this year, bringing its total number of the shipping routes to over 300.
"At present, the shipping routes of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port connect over 600 ports in more than 200 countries and regions. Besides its largest trading partner, the European Union, it also increasingly trades with ASEAN countries and Brazil," said Hu Feng, an officer from Ningbo Customs.
Many other major ports in China are also exploring new routes to other markets as they face a decrease in shipments to the United States.
Shenzhen Yantian Port has opened new routes to Europe, the Mediterranean, South America and other Asian countries, while the Qingdao Port is about to open new routes to South America and the Middle East.
China's first cargo ship along new 'dual-express' combined route sets sail for Germany
