BEIJING — China and the European Union (EU) will hold their fifth round of high-level strategic dialogue from May 5 to 6, said a Foreign Ministry spokesman on April 30.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi will co-chair the dialogue with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini in Beijing, said spokesman Hong Lei at a routine press briefing.

This round of talks comes as the two sides celebrate the 40th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties and will be an important part of the celebrations, said Hong.

The two sides will take the opportunity to exchange views on international and regional issues of common concern, he said.

China believes that the dialogue will help increase strategic mutual trust, promote pragmatic cooperation and create favorable conditions for the building of the China-EU partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization.