Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the opening ceremony of the China-EU Year of Youth in Beijing on Wednesday, encouraging young people from China and the EU to build a brighter future for bilateral strategic partnerships.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) addresses the opening ceremony of the EU-China Year of Youth in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 23, 2011. [Zhang Duo/Xinhua]

Joining over 500 young people from China and the EU in the Capital Museum in downtown Beijing, Wen said that the year-long youth exchange campaign was the first theme year between China and the EU since the establishment of diplomatic ties, and is also the largest-ever China-EU cultural exchange program.

"This has revealed that our relations will be more vibrant in the future and full of hopes," he added.

China and the EU are in a vital period for deepening cooperation, Wen said, calling on young people from both sides to consider and explore ways to share opportunities, meet challenges and seek common development, which has benefits for China, the EU and the world.

Wen hopes that young people from both sides would always be brave in pursuing innovation and the truth. He also encouraged them to learn from each other in a frank and open spirit, in a bid to jointly create a better future for China-EU ties.