| Macron said communication and coordination between the EU and China play an indispensable role in safeguarding multilateralism. The EU and China take similar positions in such areas as the Iranian nuclear issue, climate change and Africa's security and development, and both insist on the construction of a strong and just multilateral system, he said. He said that China's fast development and poverty alleviation efforts are impressive. France attaches importance to the significant and active role played by China in international affairs, he said. The EU and China, as important forces on the world stage, should increase strategic mutual trust and promote cooperation through dialogue, he said. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China is significant and can play an important role in world peace, stability and development, he said. The EU could align its development strategy with the BRI in an innovative way and jointly promote Eurasian connectivity, he added. Merkel said the sound relationship between European countries and China has laid a good foundation for carrying out multilateral cooperation between the EU and China. The EU should accelerate the negotiations on the EU-China investment agreement, and actively discuss participation in the BRI, she said. The EU and China should cooperate to safeguard multilateralism and compare notes on reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other multilateral institutions, she said. Germany, she said, proposes to hold a leaders' meeting between the EU and China next year. Referring to the EU and China as important strategic cooperative partners, Juncker said it is important that the two sides maintain dialogue on an equal footing. He called for the EU and China to actively advance the negotiations on the EU-China investment agreement and maintain coordination on major international issues such as WTO reforms. Juncker said he is looking forward to seeing positive results at the upcoming EU-China leaders' meeting. | 
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