Europe should further its cooperation with China to jointly contribute more to world harmony, former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has said here.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, he noted that considering the unpredictability of the United States, Europe should step up its cooperation with China.

"We need to have driving forces to tackle challenges and uncertainties the world faces today," de Villepin said after attending a prestigious international forum on the Rhodes Islands in Greece.

He pointed out joint efforts in combating climate change as one of the best examples to illustrate the beneficial cooperation between the two sides.

Regarding the measures taken by the European Union on Chinese steel imports, de Villepin said every country has to be able to control things without adopting protectionist measures.

"This has to be done in a very civilized way. It needs not to be a fight, my interest against your interest," he said.

Both China and Europe need to take care of their own economic interests. The escalation of measures which could be considered aggressive should be avoided, he said.

Through dialogue between not only governments, but also companies, civil societies, universities and tourism groups, Europe and China could become closer and understand each other better, the former prime minister said.

"We are happy to see that more Chinese are coming to Europe. At the same time, Europeans want to know China better," de Villepin said.