European Union Ambassador in
China Serge Abou told the press on Wednesday that the EU Commission's new
EU-China partnership document is a positive and effective response to China's
re-emergence as an economic and political power.
Abou told a press conference held at the EU Embassy in Beijing that the EU
Commission has just approved a document entitled ``EU-China: Closer partners,
growing responsibilities``, which is an all-round guide to the future
development of the EU-China relationship.
As the document states, two hundred years ago, China was the largest economy
in the world. But by 1978, its share of global GDP had fallen to 0.5 percent.
After two decades of reform and economic openness, China has notched up annual
average growth of 9 percent since 1980 and has seen its share of world GDP
expand tenfold to reach five percent of global GDP.
Abou said the EU and China agreed on a strategic partnership in 2003, when
the EU worked to engage China in the world economy. China is now not only a
major player in the world, it has also grown into one of EU's most important
partners.
Abou said China has re-emerged as a major power in the last decade. It has
become the world's fourth economy and third exporter, but also an increasingly
important political power.
China's development will have a profound impact on global politics and trade,
so the EU must improve policy coordination at all levels, and ensure a focused
single European voice on key issues, he added.
Abou noted that a closer strategic partnership between EU and China means
increased responsibilities on each side. The EU will continue to support China's
transition towards a more open and plural society, and China should shoulder
more responsibility in international affairs.
Talking about the new EU-China trade and investment policy document in the
new partnership document, Abou said the document stressed China is the single
most important challenge for EU trade policy, and agreed China is a
globalization success story, not a globalization scare story.
In its new trade and investment policy document, the EU says that China's
integration into the global trading and investment system has been beneficial
for both Europe and for China. The EU represents more than 19 percent of China's
external trade. For China, access to Europe's market has helped lift millions of
people out of poverty since 1990.
Abou said China's expanding external trade means growing expectations. China
must fulfil its WTO obligations and commit to trading fairly. China should also
further open its market and give more support to European companies. For the EU,
adjusting to the competitive challenge and driving a fair bargain with China
will be the central challenge of EU trade policy in the decade to come.
The EU policy document also mentioned some specific measures to take in the
future to ensure fair competition with China, including urging China to
encourage domestic consumption and solve the RMB currency issue. But Abou said
the EU will not press China to solve these problems immediately, and will help
China to make progress gradually.
The EU document believed sustainable development is one of today's key global
challenges. Abou said according to the new document, the EU will work closely
with China on issues like energy security, global climate change and
environmental protection. The EU will help China ensure secure and sustainable
energy supplies, reduce the negative impact of energy production on the
environment and climate, and encourage the use of clean energy.
According to Abou, until now the legal basis for relations between EU and
China has been the 1985 Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which no longer
reflects the breadth and scope of the EU-China relationship.
Abou said that, at the ninth EU-China Summit, leaders agreed to launch
negotiations on a new, extended Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) to
update the basis for EU-China cooperation. The PCA will be a framework covering
the full range and complexity of the EU-China relationship, and will also be
forward-looking and reflect the priorities outlined in the new document.
Abou said senior EU officials will visit China soon to discuss the PCA
negotiations, including EU Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson who will start
his visit to China on November 6th, and EU Commissioner for External Relations
Benita Ferrero Waldner who will visit China early next year.