EU-China Relations: 25 milestones

Chinese premier Zhou Enlai and vice-president of the European Economic Community Commission Christopher Soames on May 5, 1975. Photos provided to China Daily

Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping with the European Commission president Jacques Delors on Feb 23, 1979.

Shi Guangsheng, Chinese minister of foreign trade, and Pascal Lamy, EU trade commissioner, sign the accord on China's accession to the WTO on May 19, 2000.

From left: Liao Liqiang, outgoing Chinese ambassador to Belgium; Pascal Smet, Brussels' minister for mobility and public works; and Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD Europe, celebrate the debut of BYD e-taxis in Brussels last October.

Posters promoting the celebration of the 40th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic relations grace Brussels on March 30.

1. China's Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua holds talks with the vice-president of the European Economic Commission, Christopher Soames, on May 6, 1975 and reaches a consensus on establishing diplomatic relations between China and the European Economic Community.

2. Roy Jenkins, the first EEC president to visit China, meets Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, in February 1979.

3. A delegation from the European Commission arrives in Beijing on Oct 4, 1988.

4. EC-China relations return to normal in 1992 after European sanctions in 1989, but the arms embargo remains in place.

5. The China Europe International Business School officially opens in Shanghai in November 1994.

6. On 15 July, 1995, the European Commission publishes its report: A long-term policy for China-Europe Relations.

7. March 1996 is the first Asia-Europe Meeting, where the European Union and China are active participants.

8. On April 2, 1998, the first EU-China summit takes place in London.

9. On 7 May, 1999, NATO bombs the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia from different directions, killing four Chinese nationals and injuring 21.

10. On July 11, 2000, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji visits Brussels.

11. On Dec 11, 2001, China becomes the 143th member of the World Trade Organization.

12. One June 3, 2003, China formally requests market economy status under the EU's anti-dumping mechanism.

13. On Oct 30, 2003, the sixth EU-China summit takes place in Beijing. Both sides agree on the EU-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and agreements are signed to cooperation in the Galileo satellite navigation program, industrial policy dialogue and the EU-China Dialogue on Intellectual Property.

14. China and the EC sign the China-EU textile trade agreement in Shanghai on June 11, 2005, after reaching a deal to manage the growth of Chinese textile exports to the EU during a lengthy closed-door meeting between senior trade officials from the two sides.

15. In June 2009, Chinese shipping giant COSCO acquires management rights for half of the Greek port of Piraeus in a 35-year deal.

16. From Jan 27 to Feb 2, 2009, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visits Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the UK and the headquarters of EU amid Europe's financial crisis.

17. President Hu Jintao attends the G20 summit in London between April 1-3, 2009.

18. Between August and September 2010, the EU's Foriegn Policy Chief Catherine Ashton visits China to hold the first High-Level Strategic Dialogue with her counterpart, Dai Bingguo, in Guizhou province.

19. On April 18, 2012, European Commissioner Andreas Vassiliou and State Councilor of the People's Republic of China, Liu Yandong, launch the EU-China High Level People-to-People Dialogue in Brussels.

20. A meeting between Chinese and Central and Eastern Europe leaders is held in Warsaw, Poland, on April 26, 2012. Chinese premier Wen Jiabao attends the inauguration meeting.

21. By the end of 2012, China's 1,600 companies in the EU have helped create 50,000 jobs for locals, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

22. On July 27, 2013, the EU and China reach an amicable agreement of a price undertaking, submitted by China's solar panel exporters, to solve the solar panel trade dispute.

23. On Nov 21, 2013, the 16th EU-China Summit is hosted by President Xi Jinping in Beijing. It sees the adoption of the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, which covers: peace and security, prosperity, sustainable development and people-to-people exchanges.

24. In March and April of this year, Xi becomes the first Chinese president to visit the EU headquarters, and he delivers a speech at the College of Europe, proposing to build partnerships of peace, growth, reform and civilization.

25. On May 6, 2015, leaders of both sides will send messages to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations.