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Strategic partnership between China and EU furthered in 2005
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-23 13:47
China and the European Union (EU) have deepened their strategic partnership
in an all-around way in 2005, a year that marks the 30th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides.
CHINA-EU POLITICAL DIALOGUE ENHANCED
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties has offered
plenty of opportunities for China and the 25-member bloc to strengthen their
political dialogue.
The China-EU summit, initiated in 1998 by then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is the highest level of regular political
dialogue mechanism between China and the EU.
In September, the 8th China-EU summit was held in Beijing. Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao, Blair, whose country holds the current EU presidency, and European
Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso held talks and signed a series of
cooperation agreements, including those on climate and space programs.
The summit has injected "important impetus" into the development of the
all-around strategic partnership between the two sides, EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana said.
During the summit, China and the EU also agreed to set up another regular
political dialogue mechanism -- vice ministerial-level strategic dialogue.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui visited London in December to hold
the first such strategic dialogue with the EU president.
Apart from regular political dialogues, leaders from China and the EU have
exchanged frequent visits this year.
Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the Group of Eight (G8) summit in
Scotland in July and also visited Britain, Germany and Spain in October.
In December, Premier Wen made a tour of four EU member states -- France,
Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Portugal -- and signedmany agreements of
cooperation. China and Portugal announced the establishment of an all-around
strategic partnership.
For the EU, besides leaders from its member states, eight commissioners from
the EC, including Barroso himself, visited China this year, which was described
within the EU headquarters as a "China year."
For Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson alone, he has visited China three
times in 2005.
In addition, scholars from China and the EU also conducted a series of
symposiums, increasing communications and exchanges among academic circles of
the two sides.
TRADE SOARS DESPITE QUARRELS
After the biggest-ever enlargement in May last year, the EU hasbecome the
largest trading partner of China, and China the second largest trading partner
of the EU.
In 2005, trade between the two sides remained robust.
According to statistics issued by China's customs authorities, China-EU trade
from January to November hit 196.77 billion U.S. dollars, up 23.6 percent from
that of the same period last year.
In November, Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai, during a visitto the EU
headquarters, said bilateral trade would surpass 200 billion dollars for the
whole year.
During Premier Wen's four-day official visit to France early December, China
and France signed a deal on purchasing 150 mid-range Airbus A-320 jets worth
nearly 10 billion dollars, the biggest single deal in the history of Airbus.
However, despite the achievements made by the two sides, there are still
disputes between China and the EU over some trade issues.
Over the year, the EU has launched several anti-dumping investigations
against various Chinese products such as shoes, while quotas on China's textile
remain one of the knottiest issues in their trade ties.
In view of the good atmosphere of the Sino-EU relations, the two sides have
properly dealt with their trade disputes over textile products.
The EU will set a transition period for canceling quotas, while China agreed
to properly handle stock piles of textile at EU ports.
Just as Bo Xilai put it, the number of disputed areas in the China-EU trade
is "very small," which does not hamper a smooth expansion of the China-EU
economic cooperation.
In addition, China and the EU have made more progress in scientific
cooperation and cultural exchanges.
Highlighting the 2005 Sino-European high-tech cooperation is China's active
participation in the Galileo satellite navigation system, a major European
project.
In July, the two sides signed three application contracts, making China the
first country outside Europe to join the Galileo Project.
Moreover, China and the EU, together with four other partners, decided in
June to locate a 12-billion-dollar project for International The rmonuclear
Experimental Reactor at Cadarache in southern France, a site proposed by the EU
and backed by China.
TALKS ON NEW PARTNERSHIP PACT EXPECTED
Looking ahead, China and the EU are facing an impending job to launch talks
on a new partnership framework agreement, in a bid tore place the 1985 Trade and
Economic Cooperation Agreement.
In May, EC external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the EU
hoped to start the talks within the year.
According to well-informed sources, both sides are currently making
preparations for launching the talks.
For the EU side, it has invited at least two institutes in Brussels to
conduct studies on China and the EU-China relations, aiming to solicit advice on
launching the talks.
"A new agreement will make it much easier for us to realize the full
potential of our partnership and will be a strong signal of our mutual
commitment to deepening our relationship," Solana said.
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