As China's largest trading partner, the European Union is not looking for a trade war with China, and will address China's exports and investments through WTO rulings. However, the EU will seek additional negotiations with the Chinese leadership, the EU's mission to China said at its annual press conference on Thursday.

Markus Ederer, the EU Ambassador to China.?[Li Zhi/China.org.cn]

The EU- China trading relationship is larger than EU- U.S. and China- U.S. partnership, said Markus Ederer, the EU Ambassador to China. The EU is also the largest high-tech provider to China, and is an attractive destination for Chinese investors due to a favorable legal and political environment.

"The trade involved in anti-dumping cases is less than 1% of China's total export volume," said Ederer, "We also treat Chinese export and investment under the rules of the WTO."

The EU has launched investigations on anti-dumping cases, such as Chinese solar production, but some of them are without significant merit.

Confident about debt crisis

Ederer was confident about the EU's ability to pull itself out of the debt crisis, and it looks as though he is right. Ireland's rebound economic growth, new EU leadership and refinancing efforts made by Portugal, Spain and Italy have led to better future economic prospects, he said.

Premier Wen Jiabo has shown confidence in the euro zone on many occasions, and the EU has released a series measures to ensure positive economic growth. "Don't give up on the EU," Wen said.

More negotiations needed

The ambassador said he expects more cooperation with China's new leadership. This year is the 10th anniversary of the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the 16th EU-China summit will be held in autumn, focusing on further trade and investment partnerships.

Ederer also mentioned that he hopes to move forward on three elements during upcoming negotiations on the bilateral investment agreement: investment protection, market access and equal treatment.

Irish presidency

At the same press conference, the Irish Ambassador to China, Declan Kelleher, reiterated his country's commitment to growth, saying the Irish presidency is focused on "stability, jobs and growth" and will work close with the European Commission and other institutions.

The EU will continue to approach the debt crisis with a people-oriented strategy, and will launch new measures and financial policies to improve people's livelihoods, Kelleher said.