Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Wednesday that the comprehensive and strategic partnership between China and the European Union is of great significance.

The premier said this in an interview with Reuters Editor in Chief Geert Linnebank on the eve of his tour of Germany, Belgium, Italy, Ireland and Britain and the European Union Headquarters.

After years of efforts, China and the European Union decided to develop a comprehensive and strategic partnership at the sixth China-EU summit. Wen will attend the seventh summit during his European tour.

According to Premier Wen, the comprehensiveness of China-EU partnership means a multi-tier and all-round relationship covering a wide range of areas. It includes not only political and cultural relations, but also economic and technological relations. It is not only bilateral but also multilateral, and it includes both official and people-to-people exchanges.

The strategic nature of the relationship means that the relations are long-term and stable, and transcend the differences in social systems and ideologies, he said.

The China-EU relationship must be based on mutual trust and mutual benefit and be aimed at a win-win outcome, he said.

"This is my personal understanding of the close relationship between us and our vision of the future China-EU relationship," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2004)