It is also interesting to note that Chinese foreign direct investment in the euro area, while still at a relatively low level, has shown consistently strong growth since 2004. The people of Europe have now become used to the idea of some of their firms being owned by companies located in China. It is therefore no surprise that our countries have significant shared interests.
The point I would like to make today is that our common strategic concerns pertain not only to the continuance of a bilateral and global free trade environment, but also to the pursuit of domestic models in terms of growth and economic governance that prove sustainable and do not exacerbate macroeconomic or financial stability vulnerabilities over time.