Bilateral trade between China and the European Union (EU) rose robustly in the first quarter, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said Thursday.

Bilateral trade jumped 12.2 percent year on year to reach 205.87 billion U.S. dollars, Gao said at a regular press conference.

In the first quarter, bilateral trade in mechanical and electrical products, light industrial goods, and high-tech products climbed 10 percent, 19 percent, and 31 percent, respectively.

China and the EU share broad common interests and a profound foundation for cooperation. The two economies are highly complementary, Gao said.

Deepening bilateral cooperation is beneficial to both sides and the recovery of the world economy, he said.

China is ready to work with the EU to maintain the stability of the industrial and supply chains and foster new growth drivers in epidemic prevention, digital, science, and technology to inject impetus into bilateral economic and trade cooperation development, Gao said.