BRUSSELS -- European Parliament President Josep Borrell said Thursday that China's development is good news both for China and for the rest of the world.

"China is wakening up. But we should not be fearful of China," Borrell told Chinese reporters after a luncheon with the Chinese ambassador to the European Union.

"On the contrary, the development of China is good news for the Chinese first of all, particularly for those who still live in poverty conditions. But it is also good news for the rest of the world," he said through an interpreter.

Borrell, who is influent in English, spoke in his mother tongue, Spanish.

He said he hoped China's development would be a constant process and that China can play an increasingly important role in international affairs in the 21st century.

He called for more people-to-people contact between the European Parliament and China's National People's Congress. "It has been my main concern that the European Parliament and the National People's Congress should have very close relations."

"We have to work together, respecting each other. This means that members of parliament, as representatives of citizens, will also have to play their part," he said.

Borrell paid a seven-day visit to China in July, which he described as "a wonderful experience."