Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that he hopes that China-EU relations will be as strong at the end of the year as they were when the year started.

"China and EU share the responsibility to safeguard the global free trade system and negotiation needs to be speeded up to conclude a China-EU investment agreement," he said at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress.

"There are some disagreements between China and the EU, but both sides have realized the need to put themselves in each other's shoes and to be more open, tolerant and understanding of one another," he said.

Wang also emphasized the importance of Europe. He said China supports the European integration and has confidence in Europe's future.

"Given all the uncertainty around us, China is ready to partner with Europe to provide more stability and make the world a better place," he said.