EU and China, strategic partners with global objectives: Interview

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 17, 2004

EU and China, strategic partners with global objectives: Interview

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The European Union (EU) foreign affairs and security chief Javier Solana made a visit to China on March 16-17. On the eve of this visit, he received an interview with People's Daily's correspondent Wu Yun stationed in Brussels and answered questions concerning bilateral co-operation and co-ordination at political, economic, scientific and cultural level and EU's attitudes towards some international issues.

On China-EU bilateral trade, Solana said that China is important to the EU, and the EU is important to China. "The most straightforward evidence for this lies in the impressive figures for bilateral trade. Two-way trade exceeded 115 billion Euros in 2002, making China the EU's third largest trading partner".

"With ten new states joining the current fifteen EU Member States on May 1 of this year, we are expected to become China's largest trading partner. Trade and economic co-operation will remain a fundamental part of our overall relationship but our relationship is about of course much more than our simple trade in goods", said Solana.

The EU wants a trade in ideas and culture, according to Solana. "Our co-operation in Galileo, a satellite navigation system similar to GPS, will help to bring together EU and China's 'grey matter' and will reinforce our exchange of know-how and scientific knowledge. The Memorandum of Understanding on Approved Destination Status initialled at the October 2003 EU-China Summit in Beijing, is a long and complicated name for something I am certain will contribute to increasing our cultural ties, as it will facilitate Chinese group tourism in the EU."

Solana expressed his hope that Chinese academics and students will be attracted to experience the high quality of EU universities, as well as diverse cultures and languages, through the recently adopted academic programme "Erasmus Mundus", which has just been launched on 1 January 2004 and is expected to last in the initial phase until 2008.

The EU also wants to work alongside China in addressing key international problems, since the two sides are both strong economically, and are both looking to make constructive and meaningful contributions to the stability of our regions and of the wider international community, noted Solana.

"EU heads of state and government meeting in Brussels in December last year, endorsed my call for China to be identified publicly as one of the EU's six global strategic partners".

He said that the security strategy for the European Union endorsed last year outlines the EU's key security concerns, notably proliferation, arms control, terrorism and organised crime and outlines its plans to address these issues, notably through support for more effective multilateralism, with the United Nations at the centre of these efforts.

"The EU's key concerns are fully mirrored in China's first ever public policy paper on relations with such an outside entity as EU last October, shortly ahead of the last EU-China Summit". The fact that the decision was taken to develop such a paper on relations with the EU is in itself a sign of the growing strength of our relationship, said Solana.

Solana believed that the strong emphasis on close contact and dialogue at the top political levels will help develop a common appreciation of the challenges confronting the international community. "We are currently doing extremely well in this respect".

Turning to the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue held in Beijing recently, Solana said the EU is grateful for Chinese leadership in seeking a resolution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and pledge continuing support for efforts to find a negotiated solution.

Solana also admired much of what Premier Wen Jiabao said in his government work report to the Second Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC). He said he welcomes in particular Wen's comment that there was too much unilateralism in 2003. "I am also glad to note his undertaking that this year China will 'actively engage in multilateral diplomacy and play a constructive role in the United Nations'. The EU will match China's efforts in this respect. "

"It is clear to me that both the EU and China continue to believe it is in our interests to work together as closely as we can, on a wide range of subjects. We think alike on many issues and we have many shared objectives, together with the commitment to take practical action to achieve them. And complementing all this good work at political level are the ever stronger links between Chinese and European businessmen, students and ordinary people. In sum, I look to the future of the EU-China strategic partnership with great optimism", he concluded.

By People's Daily Online

Questions?Comments? Click here

Sino-European relationship in "active" and "fruitful" phase: Chinese FM

Premier Wen meets European official

EU decision on China's market economy status soon

Indian navy to have two aircraft carriers by 2011 ( 4 Messages)

What's the meaning of Bush & Blair nominated as candidates for Nobel Peace Prize? ( 31 Messages)

Study: Americans eating themselves to death ( 7 Messages)

Japanese PM's remark on shrine visit leads to long-term cold relations with China: Kyodo ( 10 Messages)

French Presidents' China complex ( 4 Messages)