China pledges continued investment in EU

(BEIJING) - China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday his country would continue to invest in the European Union after holding talks with visiting German leader Angela Merkel.

"Strengthening practical cooperation between China and the EU is conducive to overcoming the eurozone debt problem," Wen told reporters after the talks. "China will continue to invest in the EU."

Wen said the international community had "serious concerns" about the European debt crisis, citing worries over a possible Greek exit from the eurozone and whether Italy and Spain would accept "comprehensive rescue measures".

"Resolving these two problems depends on whether Greece, Spain, Italy and other countries have the determination for reform," he said.

Wen spoke after talks with Merkel, who is on her second visit to Beijing in just seven months, as Europe's debt crisis begins to drag on the two global economic powers.

With the nearly three-year-old crisis showing signs of spreading to China, the world's second-largest economy, Beijing views Germany as a key player in tackling the problem.