Beijing, May 28th—The 2nd China-Europe Young Politicians Forum was held here today, under the theme "Bridging Differences and Advancing China-Europe Cooperation: Responsibilities of Young Politicians in Our Times." Ma Hui, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the event and delivered a keynote speech. More than 40 Chinese and foreign representatives attended, including experts and scholars from the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission, the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the Department for European Studies of the China Institute of International Studies; and young politicians from 15 political parties and organizations across 12 European countries, such as Davide Aiello, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Alma Dufour, Member of the French National Assembly, González, Member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Ondrej Dostal, Member of the European Parliament, and Massimiliano Arif Ay, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Switzerland.

Ma said, the year 2026 marks the start of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the beginning of a new 50-year journey for China-Europe relations. Over the past half-century since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Europe relations have demonstrated strong resilience and vibrant dynamism, fully proving that their essence is mutually beneficial cooperation, their keynote is cooperation rather than confrontation, and their correct positioning is that of partners rather than rivals. Looking ahead, young politicians shoulder the mission of building a healthy, stable and mature China-Europe relationship. They should view China-Europe relations from a dialectical perspective, enhance understanding and mutual trust with an open mind, bridge cognitive gaps through practical exchanges and cooperation, and strive to be guardians of strategic mutual trust, promoters of openness and cooperation, practitioners of mutual learning among civilizations, and builders of global governance. China stands ready to work with European young politicians to respect each other’s development paths and core interests, jointly maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains, foster new growth drivers for cooperation in digital economy, green transition and other fields, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, uphold true multilateralism, jointly address global challenges, and promote the sustained and healthy development of the China-Europe comprehensive strategic partnership. 

The European side noted, Europe-China relations cannot be narrowly defined as competition or confrontation, but should always be based on equal dialogue, mutual respect and common development. Cognitive differences between the two sides are nothing to fear; what needs to be guarded against is a lack of willingness for sincere communication, an inability to resolve differences, and allowing prejudices to dominate the direction of Europe-China relations. In a world marked by changes and intertwined challenges, the international community needs dialogue and cooperation more than ever before and should reject division and confrontation. Young politicians should adopt an open, rational and pragmatic attitude, transcend ideological prejudices and bloc confrontation logic, build bridges for communication among diverse civilizations, deepen practical Europe-China cooperation in green transition, artificial intelligence governance, scientific and technological innovation, education and culture, inject greater stability and cooperation momentum into Europe-China relations, better benefit the people of both sides, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.