Backgrounder: Chronology of China-EU summits

by Xinhua writer Liu Xiaoyan

BRUSSELS, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) — As China undergoes economic transformation and Europe recovers from the financial crisis, it’s high time the two sides expand economic and trade relations, said a Chinese business leader.

After decades of efforts, China and Europe have entered a new era of trade cooperation with a great prospect for further expansion, Wan Jifei, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), told Xinhua in an interview here Tuesday.

Wan, who is leading a high-level Chinese delegation for the EU-China Business Summit to be held here Wednesday, said Europe is important to an emerging economy like China, which is in a crucial economic transformation period trying to readjust its industrial set-up and foster the development of high-tech and high value-added industries.

With its advanced hi-tech, manufacturing, medicine and chemical industries, Europe could be a great source of knowledge for Chinese enterprises, as some Chinese firms have already set up R&D centers in the continent, Wan said.

European could also share experiences with China on how to develop a low-carbon economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he added.

Chinese companies are increasingly interested in investing in Europe, Wan said, adding that he is leading a “national team” of Chinese firms to Europe.

China, with its robust economic growth and huge market, presents a great business opportunity for Europe, which is striving to sustain its recovery from the financial crisis and create jobs, he said.

In fact, some European firms have already seen the Chinese market as a way to help get them out of the current difficulties, he said.

The European Union (EU) has become China’s biggest trade partner and largest export market, while China is now the second largest trade partner of the EU and its primary source of import. The bilateral trade reached 36.41 billion U.S. dollars in 2009, accounting for 16.5 percent of China’s total external trade.

But challenges remain for the two-way trade ties, notably the trade frictions, and the two sides need to look at the issue objectively and resort to negotiations, arbitrations, legal measures or a dispute settlement mechanism under the World Trade Organization (WTO), he said. Trade wars would be the last thing the two sides want, he said.

Another issue is that Chinese investors still face a number of obstacles in Europe, such as higher labor costs, unfamiliarity with related labor laws and regulations, and higher taxes, Wan said.

Despite the challenges, the overall prospect for China-EU economic and trade relations are very bright, and Wednesday’s business summit is expected to add momentum to the bilateral trade ties, he said.

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A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will pay an official goodwill visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from Oct. 9 to 11.

The delegation is headed by Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of CPC Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs.

Zhou will pay the visit as guest of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

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The Year of Chinese Culture in Italy will contribute to better friendship between the people of the two countries, says the Chinese ambassador to Italy.

The celebration, to begin Thursday in Rome, will be a milestone for cultural exchanges between China and Italy, Ding Wei, the Chinese ambassador to Italy, said during an interview with Xinhua.

The 2006 “Italian Culture Year” in China was a success, Ding said.

According to a consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, “Chinese Culture Year” in Italy will officially kick off Thursday and last for one year.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, during a visit to Italy last year, proposed a 40th-anniversary celebration for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Hu also proposed to have a “Chinese Culture Year” in Italy to boost mutual understanding and friendship, the ambassador said.

“Through the Chinese Culture Year, we can show the charm of Chinese culture and further promote Chinese-Italian relations and China-EU cultural exchange,” Ding said.

China and Italy established formal diplomatic ties 40 years ago. The cultural exchanges between the two countries are the foundation of those ties, Ding said.

“Language is an important basis for the exchange,” Ding said. “In Italy, many of the older generations can speak Chinese, as they went to China in the 1970s to study Chinese. Today these people have deepened the cultural exchanges and communication between the two countries.”

The ambassador named a few of those who have loved Chinese culture.

Marco Muller, chairman of the Venice Film Festival, speaks fluent Chinese, and has made unremitting efforts helping Chinese films reach the world.

Alessandra Lavagnino, the head of Milan’s Confucius Institute, spent 15 years translating “The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons” for Italian readers.

“In the past, if Italian people wanted to learn the Chinese language and culture, they had to travel to China in person,” Ding said. “Today we see nine Confucius Institutes having been established in Italy, with another two more under organization.”

Meanwhile, the “Marco Polo” and the “Turandot” projects have attracted many young Chinese to Italy each year to learn the language, culture, and arts, Ding said.

More than 10,000 Chinese students are currently studying in Italy. “These Chinese students have become envoys of both Chinese and Italian culture,” he said.

“We can expect that the Year of Chinese Culture will make it much easier for the Italian people to appreciate the Chinese culture and to communicate directly with the Chinese people taking part in cultural activities here,” he said.

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