BEIJING: President Xi Jinping on Friday asked Olaf Scholz to urge the European Union to “safeguard fair market competition” during a video call with the German chancellor, Chinese state media reported.

Beijing and the EU are major trade partners but the bloc has recently signalled a desire to reduce reliance on trade with China in technology and other areas.

The EU has launched an enquiry into China’s subsidies for homegrown EV makers after accusations that their cheap products undercut European competitors – claims denied by Beijing.

“China regards Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and an important pole in a multipolar world,” state broadcaster CCTV reported Xi as telling Scholz.

“It is hoped that Germany will push the EU to uphold the principles of marketization and fairness, and work with China to safeguard fair market competition and free trade,” the Chinese leader reportedly said.

“China-EU relations are related to the global picture of stability and the prosperity of the Eurasian continent, and deserve every effort from both sides to safeguard and develop them,” Xi added.

He said Beijing and Berlin were both “responsible major powers” that must “develop bilateral relations well and set an example for win-win cooperation”.

Scholz was the first European leader to visit China after a Communist Party congress last November that effectively handed Xi the power to rule indefinitely.