China on Wednesday urged the European Union not to turn "beneficial competition" between the two partners into a "rivalry" after Brussels outlined a shift to more assertive relations with Beijing, Daily Mail reported.

Top European policymakers on Tuesday released a 10-point plan for addressing relations with Beijing as fears grow about Chinese investment and influence on critical infrastructure, including new communication technology.

China is both a cooperative partner and an "economic competitor in pursuit of technological leadership, and a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance," the EU said, outlining its plan.

On Wednesday, China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang responded, saying: "In the era of globalisation, benign competition will exist between different economic systems. We don't want competition to turn into a rivalry type of competition."