China and the European Union (EU) are deeply interdependent with each other, said Ambassador Markus Ederer, the head of the EU Delegation to China ahead of a new round of the China-EU strategic dialogue.

The third round of the China-EU strategic dialogue is scheduled for July 9-10 in Beijing. Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will co-chair the dialogue, according to the EU ambassador.

Hailing the frequent interactions between Chinese and EU leaders, Ederer said the China-EU relationship has witnessed strong momentum over the past months.

Currently, the EU is China's largest trading partner and biggest export market, and China is close to being the EU's biggest trading partner. Bilateral trade volume hit 567 billion U.S. dollars in 2011.

The two sides are both aware of their growing interdependence, Ederer said.

China is helping European countries' efforts to struggle with the ongoing debt crisis while the EU can help China in managing its urbanization, said the diplomat.

Their cooperation in cyber security, a new and sensitive field, shows how much the two sides trust each other, Ederer said.

China and the EU are also seeking new fields of cooperation, including water conservation, food security and nuclear security.

At Thursday's press briefing, Ederer also said that Dai and Ashton will discuss global hotspots, such as Syria, Sudan and South Sudan during the upcoming strategic dialogue.

Ederer said he expected the strategic dialogue, as well as the 15th China-EU summit to be held later this year, will make contributions to consolidating the strategic foundation of China-EU relations.

The summit will be held in Brussel in the autumn.

Beijing International