1st LD Writethru: Xi congratulates Antonio Costa on election as president of European Council

BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a message to Antonio Costa, congratulating him on election as president of the European Council.

In his message, Xi pointed out that China has always regarded Europe as an important pole in the multi-polar structure, attached great importance to the vital role of the European Union (EU) in global affairs, and been committed to developing t