China has great confidence in Sino-European relationship despite rising trade disputes, said Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Wednesday.

"These problems are like growing pains. They can be addressed," Yang said at a press conference during the annual full session of China's parliament.

The Chinese-European relations have moved up three tiers, from constructive partnership, comprehensive partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership, he said. "We have great confidence in the future of this relationship."

Europe has become China's largest trading partner with annual bilateral trade volume totaling over 300 billion U.S. dollars, 100 times that of 1975 when the two sides established formal relations.

As Sino-European business relations grow, disputes are "hardly avoidable," Yang said, "These problems are like growing pains. They can be addressed."

The two sides will soon hold a high level economic dialogue, he said.

The seventh Asia Europe Meeting will be held in China in August, which will be a grand gathering for over 40 heads of states and governments from Asian and European countries, Yang said.

Through this meeting, Yang said, China hopes to further improve the cooperation between Asia and Europe in international affairs as well as in economy and trade. "We hope to promote the dialogue among different civilizations," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2008)