Premier Li urges China and Europe to ‘rise above differences’ at Paris summit

SHANGHAI: Premier Li Qiang urged China and Europe to “rise above differences” and find “creative solutions” at a summit in Paris on Friday, in order to overcome global problems such as climate change and poverty alleviation.

“China will unequivocally reject trade protectionism and all forms of decoupling and severing of supply chains,” Li said on the final day of the two-day summit, adding that China would continue to take practical steps to support its fellow developing countries.

Easing the debt burden on some of the world’s most vulnerable countries while finding ways to free up billions of dollars in new funds for climate finance were key objectives of the summit.

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“China is ready to be engaged in debt relief efforts in an effective, realistic and comprehensive manner in keeping with the principle of fair burden sharing,” Li said.

During the summit, Zambia struck a deal to restructure $6.3 billion in debt owed to other governments, including China, its largest official creditor.