2010-09-13 08:24

International Criminal Court's President Sang-hyun Song waits for European Council President Herman Van Rompuy ahead of their meeting in Brussels September 10, 2010. [Agencies]

BRUSSELS - European Union and Chinese officials have fundamentally agreed to enhance their strategic partnerships, and the newly achieved consensus may be written into the bilateral pact during the China-EU Summit as soon as the beginning of October.

The likelihood of this will be further assessed at the upcoming European Council summit on Thursday, to be convened by its president Herman Van Rompuy in the presence of the EU bloc's heads of state and foreign ministers when they discuss EU relations with strategic partners - in particular, with emerging countries in Asia.

"The relationship with China will be debated then, but as far as I know, the basics are there - that China and the EU have both shown the urgent need to boost their strategic partnership amid the status quo of international relations nowadays," a high-level EU official involved in the negotiations told China Daily on Sunday.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official added that the common agreements made during the recent one-week visit to China by the EU's foreign chief Catherine Ashton will become official when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits Brussels in early October, during which time he will attend the Asia-Europe Meeting and the China-Europe Summit.

The widespread rationale behind the EU's diplomatic re-engagement with emerging economies is that EU member states have lost significant ground in the agendas of such nations and - not least because of the global recession - have paid a significant price as a result.

Initially, EU officials had planned to lodge "tougher" foreign policies towards emerging economies.

However, the sources say Ashton's China visit was a watershed in changing these original directions.

"The new stances will be given more emphasis on cooperation, instead of competition," said the EU official.

Ahead of her European Council summit this week, Ashton briefed EU officials on her China tour last Friday and Saturday during the Gymnich meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

Ashton said the EU needs "big economic and political partnerships that have the potential to change our lives", via stronger relations with its strategic partners, including China.

Recalling her visit to China, Ashton singled out Beijing as having particular importance. The topic will also lead the agenda of the EU Council meeting this week in Brussels, she has noted.

The discussions on strategic partnerships reflect on the wish by the EU to get its common foreign policy off to a new start following the adoption of the constitutional Lisbon Treaty last December.

Ashton said all partnerships were being reviewed. The process, she added, will continue on Thursday.

China Daily

(China Daily 09/13/2010 page11)