BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) on Monday agreed to jointly work to safeguard the rules-based international order, promote multilateralism, and support free trade.

The agreement was reached during the 20th China-EU leaders' meeting, which was co-chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, European Council President Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

China and the EU, as two major forces and economies of the world, have the joint responsibility to safeguard the rules-based international order, advocate multilateralism, support free trade, and promote world peace, stability, and development in the current international situation, a press release from the meeting said.