On August 6, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles.

Josep Borrell Fontelles extended deep condolences on recent rainstorms and floods in China, and emphasized that the EU is firmly committed to growing sound relations with China. The EU's Global Gateway strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative are not antagonistic to each other but complementary to each other, as both are aimed at promoting global development. Josep Borrell Fontelles expressed his expectations to pay a visit to China at an early date and carry out strategic dialogues with the Chinese side to jointly prepare for this year's EU-China Summit and push forward further development of EU-China relations.

Wang Yi said that at present, China-EU high-level exchanges have maintained a sound momentum, and both sides believe that cooperative partnership is the most important feature of China-EU relations. China has always advanced China-EU relations with a positive attitude, attaches great importance to the China-EU Summit scheduled to be held this year, and expects the meeting to play a strategic leading role in China-EU relations and bilateral cooperation. China and the EU should carry out more institutional dialogue to make up for the missing exchanges between China and the EU in the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and inject new and strong impetus into China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. China welcomes High Representative Josep Borrell Fontelles to lead a delegation to visit China this autumn and hold a strategic dialogue to make political preparations for the leaders' meeting through extensive and in-depth exchanges.

The two sides also had an exchange of views on Ukraine, Niger, and other international and regional issues of mutual interest and concern.