The Chinese ambassador to the European Union (EU) on Thursday called for a more comprehensive and deeper mutual understanding between China and the EU.

Song Zhe, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, also called for broader participation among the public to enhance bilateral relations, which have encountered twists and turns, including the recent postponement of the China-EU summit over the Tibet issue.

Speaking at the Europe-China Academic Network annual conference, Song said that China attaches great importance to its relations with the EU, and is determined to further develop bilateral ties.

On the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, China is willing to deepen cooperation and mutual trust with the EU, work together with it to overcome the current global financial and economic crises, deal with the challenges stemming from globalization, and to push for a long-term steady development of bilateral relations, he added.

In his first speech on Sino-EU relations since the postponement of the China-EU summit originally scheduled for December 1, the ambassador said that the Sino-EU relations are good "on the whole", but what happened over the past year clearly showed that both sides urgently need to deepen mutual understanding.

He said that as their global strategic importance is on the rise over recent years, both sides have common interests to forge closer ties. China and the EU need more coordination and cooperation in dealing with regional and global challenges such as energy security, climate change and especially the wide-spreading global financial crisis, he added.

Meanwhile, there are indeed huge differences between the two sides as a result of different historical backgrounds, cultural traditions, and levels of economic and social development, he noted.

These differences, he said, are not irresolvable. "Both sides need to take a more tolerant approach and a more positive and comprehensive attitude toward each other, and take consideration of the other side's feelings on issues related to its core interests," he said.

"There is no room for compromise on issues concerning China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as it is related to China's core interests and the feelings of the 1.3 billion Chinese people," he said.

"Any attempt to put pressure on China on such issue will not only be unwise but also be ineffective, and will eventually damage the common interest of both sides."

Earlier Thursday, Joao Aguiar Machado, deputy director general for relations with Asia and Latin America at the European Commission, told the meeting that the bases for the EU-China relations are "quite solid" and neither side is willing to let the relations fall back.

He called on both sides to work together to find ways to keep their bilateral ties moving forward.

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2008)