The European Union's "positive" and "flexible" development aid policy is conducive to cooperation between China and EU in a broader sense, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said here on Thursday.

Spokesman Hong Lei made the remark at a daily press briefing when commenting on the EU's plan to cut development aid for China and 18 other emerging countries.

On Wednesday, The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, adopted a 2014-2020 budget proposal for its external instruments. The proposal states that China and another 18 middle-income countries will no longer be among the recipients of the Development Cooperation Instrument.

Saying that China had noticed the report, Hong said that development cooperation is an important part of the China-EU relationship, and a "positive" and "flexible" development aid policy is good for bilateral interests.

"China and the EU continuously expand bilateral cooperation in every field, cope with global challenges and obtain win-win fruits through development cooperation," Hong said.