BEIJING,
June 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is touring parts of Europe this
week, cementing ever-closer economic ties that have made the European Union
China's biggest trading partner for ten years in a row.
This is
Li's third visit to Europe since he took office in 2013.
In Britain,
where the Chinese Premier met Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David
Cameron, the two countries on Tuesday signed deals worth more than 14 billion
pounds, with energy and finance dominating the trade agenda.
Two days
later in Athens, Li oversaw the signing of trade and investment accords worth
4.6 billion U.S. dollars with Greece, while expressing support for the
bailed-out country's economic revival efforts.
The open
show of support, both in words and in deals, has prompted a question to which
many are curious about the answer: is a second "honeymoon" around the
corner?
China and
Europe enjoyed years of cozy cooperation at the beginning of the millennium.
But relations cooled slightly in the mid-2000s.
An upturn
in trade ties and frequent high-level official exchanges have kindled hope of a
second "honeymoon".
Annual
trade volume between China and the EU has exceeded 550 billion U.S. dollars and
there are over 5 million visits between the two sides each year.
The EU's
direct investment in China jumped to 6.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, a 21.9
percent increase year on year. China's direct investment in the EU, meanwhile,
spiked 6.2 percent to 3.6 billion U.S. dollars.
Frequent
visits by leaders from both sides are another telling illustration of the close
rapport.
In 2013,
heads of states and governments from Europe, including former French Prime
Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Britain's
Cameron visited China.
Chinese
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li, meanwhile, also paid visits to countries
in Europe in March and this month, signaling growing political trust with the
continent.
But there
have been signs of a "seven-year itch". A Chinese policy paper issued
in April admitted that "the two sides have disagreements and frictions on
issues of value such as human rights as well as economic and trade
issues."
Trade is
perhaps the strongest area between the two sides, but it is also home to their
main disputes. The EU's year-long anti-dumping case on Chinese photovoltaic
power systems threatened to turn into a potential trade war, before the two
sides managed to reach agreement.
Perhaps a
second "honeymoon" is not round the corner after all. But
disagreements do not render relations fruitless.
On the
contrary, ties are without doubt heading in the right direction, according to
Cui Hongjian, director of European studies at the Foreign Ministry think tank,
the China Institute of International Relations.
"One
thing is for sure, Sino-European relations have witnessed solid and
comprehensive development in the past few years," Cui said, adding that no
other regions have exerted as much influence on China as Europe.
His words
echoed those of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. "This
is what I think is today's relationship with China: a relationship based on
friendship and a mature relationship," Barroso said in a lunar new year
greeting to the Chinese people in 2008. These words are still true today.
Maturity
means the two sides are able to deepen points of agreement. On points of
non-agreement, they are able to speak constructively and find a way out,
Barroso said.
Noting that
there have been fluctuations in Sino-Europe trade ties, Cui Hongjian said they
are likely to last only in the short term.
He said
relations between China and Europe are witnessing subtle changes, especially in
the wake of China's growing economic and political prowess.
Both sides
need time to adjust themselves and accept each other's changes, he said.
"Cooperation between China and Europe could play a positive role by
instilling more stability into the current international order."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.