The European Union and China patched up differences at a summit today, pledging to create a new global order to combat the financial crisis, dwindling world trade and climate change, Reuters reported. Relations between China and the EU became strained after December's EU-China summit was postponed over Beijing's opposition to a meeting between Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy when France held the 27-nation bloc's rotating presidency. Brussels and Beijing have also been at odds over Europe's criticism of China's human rights record, Beijing's policies towards Sudan's Darfur region and Myanmar. A spate of trade squabbles have also rankled relations between the two major trading powers. However, the worst economic downturn in nearly 80 years has prompted both sides to set aside their differences, they said at Wednesday's summit hosted by the Czech EU Presidency at Prague Castle. "During the summit we exchanged views on how to tackle the international financial crisis ... we both recognise that it is important for us to work together, to ride out the storm and make our contribution to an early world economic recovery," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told a news conference. "It is impossible for a couple of countries or group of big powers to resolve all global issues. Multipolarity or multilateralism represent the larger trend. Some say that world affairs will be managed solely by China and the United States. I think that view is baseless and wrong."
