Economic ties between China and the EU are closer than ever. Bilateral trade between the two sides has been growing rapidly in the past 10 years. China-EU trade amounted to US$ 575 billion in 2015. That’s more than doubled when compared with US$ 272 billion in 2006.

The trade relationship between China and the EU also has been quite stable. The European Union was China's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years from 2004 through 2015.

Meanwhile, China has been the EU’s second largest trading partner since 2003 for a 12th consecutive year. Bilateral investments are also expanding. The 28 EU members’ investments surged 41.5 percent in the first 10 months of this year as firms remain optimistic about the potential of the Chinese market.

On the other side, more and more Chinese companies are eyeing opportunities in the European Union. The companies have invested in a wide range of sectors including manufacturing, financial, real estate, telecommunications and sports.