China and the European Union (EU) should properly cope with trade frictions, and push forward economic and trade cooperation, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said in Beijing Wednesday.

Wang was meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, who is on her first visit to China.

"China and the EU should appropriately handle trade frictions, and fight resolutely against trade protectionism," he said.

Since late July, the EU has launched a series of anti-dumping actions against Chinese products, covering steel wire rod, seamless steel tubes, sodium gluconate, steel cables and aluminum road wheels.

"Some of China's major trading partners have shown signs of protectionism during the global financial crisis, and there has been rising trade protectionism inside the EU," said Sun Yongfu, who is department chief in charge of European affairs of Chinese Commerce Ministry.

Vice premier Wang said the two sides' top priorities at the present time should be making efforts to continuously further coordination and cooperation, jointly tiding over the global financial crisis, and facilitating the recovery of regional and international economy.

Wang also urged the EU to recognize China's status as a market economy at an early date.

The EU would like to adopt a pragmatic attitude in solving problems in bilateral trade and investment, and create a favorable environment for deepening economic and trade cooperation with China, said Ashton during the meeting.

In Ashton's speech at the University of International Business and Economics earlier Wednesday, she called for the EU and China to "work on outstanding issues" in order to strengthen trade relations, the European Commission said in a press release on its website.

Ashton, who began the visit on Sept. 6, said during the meeting that she was glad to see what was happening in China with her own eyes.

In May, Ashton and Wang held talks in Brussels as co-chairs of the EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue, which set the strategic direction for the bilateral economic relationship and identified challenges and opportunities.

Currently, China and the EU are one of the most important trade partners to each other. Bilateral trade volume reached 425.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.

During her visit, Ashton was scheduled to meet with Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, and attend the 13th China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen city of southeast Fujian Province.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2009)