IP/05/548

Brussels, 10 May 2005

EU-China Ministerial Troika in Beijing to mark the 30^th Anniversary of EU-China Diplomatic Relations 11-12 May

European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner will visit Beijing on 11^-12 May to participate in the EU-China Ministerial Troika, which will meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Zhaoxing. Discussions will cover EU-China bilateral relations including preparations for a new bilateral framework agreement and trade issues; as well as international and regional affairs including Taiwan, North Korea, Burma/Myanmar and UN reform. The meetings will take place in the broader context of the celebrations of the 30^th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic relations.

Commenting on 30 years of EU-China diplomatic relations, Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said, "Both the EU and China have changed beyond recognition in 30 years and so has our relationship. Our existing Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement simply doesn't live up to the dynamism of today's partnership. It's time to reflect the vibrancy of our relations with an ambitious new agreement that will help us move to a fully-fledged strategic partnership".

The Commissioner will make clear her pleasure that EU-China relations are going from strength to strength and her confidence that the partnership will continue to flourish.

She will stress her wish to see negotiations for the new framework agreement launched later this year. The two sides will also discuss how to implement their decision to create a High-Level Coordination Mechanism to ensure the progress of bilateral relations is given a high political priority.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner will also underline the EU's wish to announce the launch of negotiations for a readmission agreement at this autumn's Summit, and express willingness to engage in visa facilitation negotiations in parallel.

The Chinese wish to see the EU arms embargo lifted is on the agenda. The Commissioner will urge China to help create the climate in which it would be possible to move forward on this issue. She will raise developments in the area of human rights and will strongly encourage the early ratification by China of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

A discussion on Taiwan will be an opportunity for the Chinese to inform on prospects for progress to resolve cross-Straits tensions.

On trade, the EU side will urge China to take a leadership role in making a success of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations. The EU will urge China to continue to work towards meeting its WTO commitments; improving conditions for European companies and properly enforcing Chinese law on the protection of intellectual property. The EU will also continue to stress the need for close consultation in addressing the question of Chinese textile imports to the EU.

Background

Established in 1975, EU-China relations have strengthened considerably in recent years, particularly since the adoption of a new Commission strategy document on China (A maturing partnership: common interests and challenges in EU-China relations) and China's first ever policy paper on the EU in 2003. In 2004 both sides agreed to broaden the relationship into a strategic partnership. It was also agreed to engage in negotiations on a new framework agreement to replace and update the 1985 Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement

For information on EU-China relations, see:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/china/intro/index.htm