China and the European Union must rebuild trust and deepen cooperation to navigate an increasingly volatile world, a group of former European leaders and current scholars agreed on Monday, urging the EU to handle its relationship with China on the basis of strategic autonomy and realism.

Their remarks came at the "China-Europe Youth Dialogue 2025", hosted by the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. The event was held to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU.

Pablo Iglesias Turrion, Spain's former deputy prime minister, said the EU must strengthen ties with China while reducing its dependence on the United States. He added that China has never imposed its political or economic system on others and that its development has had a profound global impact.

Strengthening cooperation with China, Iglesias Turrion said, is the most sensible choice available for the EU. He added that the recent state visit of Spain's King Felipe VI to China further demonstrated to Europeans that the world is no longer unipolar and that China has become an indispensable strategic, economic and peace-building force.

Grzegorz W. Kolodko, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Poland, described today's geopolitical landscape as highly complex.

With the US wielding significant military and political influence and China rising across economic, technological and political spheres in Eurasia, the EU must avoid taking sides, he said.

Instead, the EU should adopt a wiser, more neutral stance and play a constructive mediating role in global competition and conflicts — a path that aligns with the bloc's interests and reflects China's vision of win-win cooperation and inclusive globalization.

Petr Drulak, the Czech Republic's former deputy foreign minister, said that, while China and the EU established a comprehensive strategic partnership in the early 2000s, the EU now labels China simultaneously as a partner, competitor and systemic rival, and, in the process, has become less confident and more anxious.

The EU must speak with its own voice and handle its relationship with China on the basis of strategic autonomy and realism, he said, adding that specific problems such as trade imbalances and market access could be resolved through candid and pragmatic negotiations.

Eberhard Sandschneider, emeritus professor at Freie Universitat Berlin, said dialogue is more important than ever amid profound global change. He argued that political shifts in the US have made international relations increasingly transactional, while protectionism is on the rise and the era of open markets is receding.

The EU's sustained prosperity, he said, was built on interdependence with the world, including China. Dependence on China, therefore, is not a threat but a foundation of its economic progress and social well-being.

The greatest challenge today, he added, is declining mutual trust, and rebuilding that trust will ultimately fall to the younger generation.

Jonathan Schwestka, European director of the Europe-Asia Center, also said the EU-China relations face multiple challenges — from geopolitical tensions to decoupling pressures and cultural barriers.

Against this backdrop, the role of youth is more crucial than ever, he said, adding that young people should champion dialogue, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and advance cultural, academic and business exchanges to help shape a more peaceful and cooperative future.