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December 30, 2015

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Home » Opinion » Chinese Views

China-EU relationship opens new chapter in 2015

Source: Xinhua | December 30, 2015, Wednesday | Print Edition

The year 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of China-European Union (EU) diplomatic relations, and has ushered in a new chapter in the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

According to Ambassador Yang Yanyi, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, in her recent article published on the Europe-wide policy journal Europe’s World, this autumn, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a successful visit to Britain, followed by visits to China by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, culminating in a “China-Europe season.”

She noted that earlier this year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited France and Belgium. The year also saw the organization of several important meetings, including the 17th China-EU Summit, the High-Level Strategic Dialogue, the High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue and the High-Level People-to-People Dialogue. “These encounters allowed the two sides to identify the direction of their relations and to reiterate their commitment to a positive, long-term strategic perspective and a rational approach to handling their relations while transcending differences in social system, cultural tradition and ideology,” said Yang in the article.

Moreover, during the summit in China’s Suzhou on November 24 and 25, China and 16 central and eastern European (CEE) countries identified priority sectors for cooperation from 2015 to 2020, ranging from infrastructure, finance, agriculture to people-to-people exchange.

“Giving full play to their geographic location connecting the Asian and European continent, the CEE countries can play a critical role in infrastructure and connectivity building as well as global production capacity cooperation, thus contributing to the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership,” said Zhang Lirong, a senior diplomat with the Chinese Mission to the EU.

Zhang said this year China and the EU reached a consensus on drawing synergies between the “Belt and Road” initiatives and development strategy, the global production capacity cooperation and EU’s Juncker plan.

In 2014, trade volume between China and the CEE countries exceeded US$60 billion, an increase of almost 50 percent over 2010. Direct Chinese investment in the CEE countries hit US$5 billion, providing a great amount of employment and development opportunities for local residents.

Additionally, after the eighth round of China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty negotiations, which were held in Brussels between November 30 and December 4, the two sides made great progress on a range of topics related to the investment treaty. They also agreed to confirm the consensus as soon as possible and strive to achieve the negotiation goals settled in last June by leaders of both sides by the end of this year.

Starting from January 2016, the two sides will step up substantive text negotiations on the basis of a merged text. According to Renmin University of China professor Wang Yiwei, the recent development of the China-EU relationship enjoyed some new features. The two sides undertook more cooperation in developing standards in manufacturing sectors, and exploring third-party markets.

Re-shaping world order

Since 2004, the EU has traded more with China than any other economy. China is the EU’s second largest trading partner. The two sides are each other’s largest source of imports. Wang said China and the EU also worked closer in re-shaping the world order, as more and more European people began to see China as a partner to solve crises, rather than a competitor to Europe’s interests.

“Recognition of China as a global and regional strategic player is growing very much in Europe,” said Shada Islam, director of policy at Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe.

Islam said that even though Europe is focused on its own neighborhood, domestic troubles like the refugee crisis, the eurozone debt, and the referendum on Britain’s EU membership, the China-EU relationship is there to stay because the ties are based on such a fundamental necessity. “The potential for China-EU cooperation is immense, not just in business and economic cooperation, but also on the global stage,” said Islam.

China will chair the G20 next year, and will be in charge of the agenda on sustainable development, green development and global governance, so there is massive potential for discussion between China and the EU on global issues, according to Islam.

For instance, during Merkel’s visit to China in late October, Merkel spoke highly of China’s efforts dealing with climate change and preparation for the Paris Conference and exchanged views on Syria and the refugee crisis with Chinese leaders.

“Looking ahead to 2016, we have every reason to believe that the launch of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan and continuing integration of the EU will enable the two sides to find more synergies in their development strategies,” said Ambassador Yang in her article on the outlook of the China-EU relations.

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