On March 28, 2023, the Diplomatic World publishes Ambassador Fu Cong’s exclusive interview with its CEO Barbara Dietrich.
Diplomatic World: Welcome to Brussels, Ambassador Fu Cong. Broadly speaking, what do you hope to achieve during your tenure as the PRC’s Ambassador to the EU?
Fu Cong: I’m delighted to be interviewed by the Diplomatic World. It was a great honor for me to be appointed as the 15th Chinese Ambassador to the EU at the end of last year, and it means a lot of responsibilities as well.
I think I’ve come to Brussels at quite an opportune time. First, we had successfully concluded the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) last October. One of the biggest takeaways from the Congress is the continuity and stability of China’s policies, both internally and externally, which has provided a sound basis and general framework for our policy towards the EU.
A few days before my departure, I also had the opportunity to attend the meeting between President Xi Jinping and the European Council’s President Charles Michel in Beijing. A number of important agreements were reached between the two leaders, setting out clear guidelines as to how China-EU relations should be moving forward.
Since I came here, I have been reaching out to people from all walks of life, including those from the EU institutions and member states, the business community, think tanks, and media outlets. I find that most of them support the further development of our relationship and oppose a new Cold War or decoupling. This is quite encouraging. At the same time, I have also noticed that there is considerable misunderstanding and even prejudice against China.
Therefore, broadly speaking, there are two things that I hope I can make a difference on. One is to improve the political environment. The other is to have some practical cooperation on the ground and achieve tangible results.
Specifically, I will work on four priorities. One is to maintain and resume contacts at all levels. We have established more than 70 dialogue mechanisms between China and the EU, including the China-EU Summit and the five high-level dialogues. This is my top priority. The recent 38th China-EU Human Rights Dialogue made a good start and has achieved good results.
My second priority is to promote practical cooperation. China and the EU enjoy great complementarity in terms of economy, with our trade value hitting a record high of USD 847.3 billion in 2022. This shows that our cooperation has a solid basis and a promising future. The third one is to strengthen our cooperation and coordination in addressing global issues by translating into actions our consensus on many important issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, public health and non-proliferation. Last but not least, I want to promote people-to-people contacts in areas such as culture, tourism, education, and youth.
Diplomatic World: In a speech on December 25, 2022 entitled “Maintain a Global Vision, Forge Ahead with Greater Resolve and Write a New Chapter in Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics”, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, mentioned that China is “happy to see stronger European strategic autonomy” and “we expect the EU to play a greater role in international affairs." In which specific areas would China like to see the EU step up its game in the international arena?
Fu Cong: Director Wang Yi said in the speech that friendship is the keynote of China’s EU policy, and cooperation is its overarching goal. He also mentioned that China would engage in closer high-level exchanges and strategic communication with Europe and promote the sound and steady growth of China-Europe relations.
After my arrival, I became more convinced that, as two major forces, markets and civilizations, how the relationship between China and the EU develops has a huge impact on where the world is heading.
China has always attached great importance to our relationship with the EU and sees no fundamental conflict of interests between the two sides. We believe that we are partners rather than rivals and opportunities rather than threats to each other. Of course, we have to admit that there are some points of disagreement, which is only natural. The right approach is to enhance mutual understanding through dialogue. We should also properly manage and handle our differences so that they do not get in the way of our cooperation.
As you mentioned, China supports the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy and expects the EU to play a greater role in international affairs. Among major forces, China is perhaps the only one that supports the EU in such a clear and consistent way. We believe strategic autonomy is the right thing to pursue as it fits the EU’s position as a major player in this multi-polar world.
To realize this goal, I believe that the EU needs to make independent decisions based on its own interests and the merits of relevant issues and should never yield to external pressure. We are also happy to see the EU exercise strategic autonomy when developing relations with China, so as to make sure that the China-EU relationship is not directed against any third party, nor is it subjugated to or controlled by any third party.
Diplomatic World: At the moment, the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is in the freezer. Are you hopeful it can be unlocked in the short or medium term? If ratified and implemented, what economic benefits would it bring to both sides?
Fu Cong: The CAI is the result of 35 rounds of negotiations over seven years. It is a balanced, high-level, and mutually beneficial agreement. Both sides have shown great flexibility in the negotiations and it will provide high-level market access when it comes into force.
For the first time, China has made market access commitments on all industries, offering the most comprehensive market access to date. It covers not only the manufacturing sector but also new energy, cloud computing, financial services, medical care, and some other sectors. The CAI would address many of the concerns that European business people may have about China.
We have also reached agreements on subsidy transparency, SOEs, and the prohibition of forced technology transfer. This will help create a fair, predictable, and transparent environment for companies from both sides. In addition, the CAI contains important commitments on sustainability. I would say that it will greatly benefit both business communities and take our economic relations to a much higher level.
But unfortunately, it is hanging in the air because of sanctions. I don’t want to go back to history to argue about who was right and who was wrong in imposing sanctions, because that would be a futile debate. Instead, we should look forward. I have proposed to my EU interlocutors to lift the sanctions simultaneously. China is also open to other proposals from the EU side. As long as the solution is based on equality and mutual benefit, China will consider it.
For our part, China sincerely hopes to work with the EU to remove the obstacles so as to unleash as soon as possible the great potential of the CAI in promoting bilateral cooperation. I would also like to emphasize that the CAI is a mutually beneficial agreement. It’s not as if one side was doing a favor to the other. It requires joint efforts to move it forward.
Diplomatic World: How can the perception of China in the European Union improve? How can both sides tap into the reservoir of goodwill and mutual understanding to further promote EU-China dialogue, as you mentioned in your earlier interview?
Fu Cong: As an online survey in January shows, the Chinese people have a favorable view of Europe, much more favorable than that of the US. I have also noticed that there are polls suggesting that the negative perception of China may be on the rise among some Europeans.
I could think of three reasons for that trend. First, the general political environment between us is not good enough. Second, limited exchanges caused by the pandemic have reduced mutual understanding. Third, some politicians and media outlets not so friendly to China have continued to bash China and hype up certain issues.
Some European people told me that most Europeans haven’t been to China, and they learn about China mainly through media reports. With the relaxation and easing of the travel restrictions, people-to-people contacts between China and the EU will recover, providing opportunities for enhancing mutual understanding. I believe their perception of China will be more comprehensive and objective after that. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. I would encourage more Europeans to visit China to see and experience the country as it really is.
Diplomatic World: At a time when cross-border travel is resuming, how does the Chinese tourism sector expect to recover? What are the prospects for EU-China tourism cooperation?
Fu Cong: China further refined its COVID-19 policy at the end of last year and managed to stabilize the situation over a short period of time. Life is back to normal, consumer demand is booming, and the tourism market is expanding significantly. For example, during this Chinese New Year holiday from January 21 to 27, some 308 million domestic trips were made in China, up 23.1 percent year on year.
Europe has always been a popular overseas destination for Chinese tourists, and China is one of the largest sources of tourists in Europe. According to the China Tourism Academy, in pre-COVID 2019, China’s outbound trips reached a record high of 155 million, generating overseas spending of over 125 billion euros. Both figures rank first in the world. According to Atout France (France Tourism Development Agency), 2.2 million Chinese tourists visited France in the same year, spending about 3.5 billion euros.
As China’s outbound tours resumed, more and more Chinese visitors are back in Europe. All the professionals from the hospitality sectors in Brussels I talk to are looking forward to their return. I believe this will also bring more hope and confidence for Europe’s economic recovery.
