Foreign news
Xi Jinping: China, EU should bring more stability to a turbulent world
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China and the European Union (EU) should bring more stability to a world plagued by a protracted COVID-19 pandemic, a faltering global recovery and the ongoing Ukraine crisis.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link at the 23rd China-EU Leaders’ Meeting.
With two major forces, markets and civilizations, China and the EU should enhance communication on bilateral relations and issues concerning global peace and development, Xi said, calling on the two sides to play a constructive role in adding stabilizing factors to a turbulent world.
He said China and the EU share extensive common interests and a solid foundation for cooperation. Only through cooperation and coordination can the two sides resolve problems and rise to challenges, he added.
Underscoring the consistency and continuity of China’s EU policy, he urged the EU to form its own perception of China, adopt an independent China policy, and work with China for the steady and sustainable growth of bilateral ties
China and the EU should take the lead in upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law and the basic norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter, Xi said. The two sides should jointly reject the resurrection of rival-bloc mentality and oppose attempts to start a new Cold War, he added.
He called on the two sides to jointly promote common development and economic globalization. China will unswervingly deepen reform and expand openness, he pledged, adding that China welcomes European companies to invest and do business in the country. He also called on the EU to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.
Michel and von der Leyen said China is an important force in the world and that the EU attaches great importance to its relations with China. They said the EU and China enjoy a longstanding relationship of mutual benefit, and that both sides are committed to defending peace and multilateralism. They reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the one-China principle.
The EU is willing to deepen cooperation with China in fields such as economy and trade, investment, energy and green development and to jointly address global challenges including COVID-19, climate change and the protection of biodiversity, they said.
Xi and the EU leaders also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine.
China finds it “deeply regrettable” that the situation in Ukraine has come to where it is today, Xi said.
China is always on the side of peace and makes a conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter, he said. China advocates upholding international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations, and adheres to the UN Charter and promotes the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, he added.
He outlined four key points on resolving the crisis under the current circumstances. Efforts should be made to promote peace talks, prevent a larger-scale humanitarian crisis, build lasting peace in Europe and on the Eurasian continent, and prevent the regional conflict from magnifying.
China supports the EU’s efforts toward a political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and has been encouraging peace talks in its own way, he said.
Xi urged the international community to create favorable conditions and environments for the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and make room for political settlement, rather than “add fuel to the fire” and heighten tensions.
The root cause of the crisis is the regional security tensions in Europe that have built up over the years, and a fundamental solution is to accommodate the legitimate security concerns of all relevant parties, he stressed, adding that global and regional security frameworks should no longer be built with a Cold War mentality.
China supports Europe, especially the EU, in playing a primary role, and supports Europe, Russia, the United States and NATO in holding dialogue to face up to the tensions that have built up over the years and find solutions, so as to build a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework in Europe, he said.
Xi also warned about the conflict’s potential impacts on the world economic system. Relevant parties “must not let the global economic system be disrupted at will, still less allow attempts to politicize or weaponize the world economy as a tool to serve one’s own agenda,” he said, warning that such attempts will trigger serious crises in global finance, trade, energy, technology, food, industrial and supply chains.
China and the EU need to commit themselves to keeping the situation under control, preventing a spillover of the crisis, and, most importantly, keeping the system, rules and foundation of the world economy stable, in order to bolster public confidence, he said.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li said on Friday night that the summit has sent positive signals to the world.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Deng said China and the EU should work together to safeguard world peace, promote common development and push forward human civilization. The two sides agreed to coordinate on de-escalating the conflict in Ukraine, he noted.
Foreign news
French Envoy Seeks Collaboration With NAN To Boost Seamless Relationship

The new French envoy to Nigeria, Marc Fonbaustier, on Wednesday called for collaboration with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) toward strengthening the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.
Fonbaustier, who is the French ambassador to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, NAN’s Managing Director, in Abuja.
The ambassador said that his purpose of visiting was to pay tribute to the MD, and to seek collaboration in three areas with a view to promoting stronger, seamless and fruitful partnership between both countries.
He added that Nigeria and its people were hospitable, especially to the foreigners and ambassadors alike.
He added that Nigeria was a country with so much energy, strength, stamina and so many talents.
In Nigeria, with the population of this size, it is inevitable that the elites of the country are very outstanding, “and there may be a Franco/Nigeria moments now”, he jokes.
According to him, France and Nigeria can collaborate more and learn from each other.
“I could feel it particularly during the state visit of President Bola Tinubu which took place in November 2024.
“I was there and I could see the intensity, the strength and the scope of the partnership, and I am here to scale up that partnership in all sectors.
“I am coming here for three reasons, first, to pay a tribute to the NAN MD and his team for the quality of this agency. We can testify that the contents that you publish are very factual, and also very well set up and structured.
“You do fact checking and you really do try to provide the community with quality information. I think, as a French ambassador, I can recognise that as part of a living democracy,” he said.
The French ambassador said the second reason for the visit was to intimate the NAN MD of France’s eagerness to go on partnership with NAN saying he hoped for assurance of a seamless, fluid and easy relationship.
He said that his third reason stemmed from his observation that NAN recently signed some partnership framework agreements with Egypt and China, saying “it may be time to think of balancing this partnership with others”.
“Especially with French, and to talk with Agence France-Presse (AFP) to see if there’s ground for a closer relationship between NAN and AFP.
“Which is also a recognised agency like yours, and I bet you the sky will be the limit to the collaboration, ’’he said.
Responding, the NAN MD informed the envoy that the agency was African’s biggest news content provider on account of its size.
Ali gave the envoy a little details of the agency’s operation and its outreach, saying “as our continent’s biggest news content provider, we have offices nationwide and in selected African countries.
“We have offices in countries such as South Africa, Cote d’ivoire, Addis Ababa, and then we have offices also beyond the shores of Africa. We have in New York and we are the only resident wire service in the United Nations.
“At a time in the past, the agency had 11 foreign offices, including Moscow, and presently, we are trying to re-open some of our shut offices, especially in London.
“We value partnership and understanding that we have with similar news organisation such as Reuters and, incidentally, we have a long standing relationship with AFP which you just raised.
“I know for years we have exchange of news between NAN and AFP but it’s a cooperation that we will like to strengthen and with your greater involvement,’’ he said.
The MD commended the ambassador for reaching out and engaging with some Nigerians communities to douse the tension of the allegation made by the Nigeriens.
He also lauded the envoy’s leadership and visibility to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, “which has helped to douse the perception and misconceptions about France, especially in the Sahel”.
“I think you have helped to reverse some of this perceptions. I thank you for the kind words that you said about the agency and about our management.
“We also see partnership as an important tool in checking the spread of fake news.
“We’ve seen instances where fake news has done great deal of damage, and with the coming of social media it has done even greater damage.
“Our country is facing a lot of challenges, one of which is the increasing insecurity, and the social media has been used by those who do not want to see our country to prosper,” Ali said.
He further said that NAN was a credible news agency that always fact check to correct the wrong narratives by those who are in the business of causing troubles.
He also told the envoy that the agency has its content in the Nigerian indigenous languages, starting with Hausa and it would proceed to Yoruba and Igbo languages later, “then later in future to French.
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