China's Premier Li Keqiang said a European Union-China summit in Beijing on Monday that the two sides agreed to work together to "safeguard" the rules-based international order and protect free trade and multilateralism.
During a joint press conference with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Li supported Tusk's call for a reform of the World Trade Organization. The Chinese official also added that Beijing is interested in seeking a "more balanced" trade with the EU and praised the progress of talks between the EU and China about the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment.
Responding to a question whether the issue of the trade dispute between China and the US came up at the meeting, Li insisted the summit focused on bilateral relations and was "not directed at any third country."
