Premier Wen
Jiabao and European Commission President Romano Prodi Thursday
pledged to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership between
China and the European Union (EU), which was established last
year.
During their talks, Wen proposed that leaders from the two sides
increase discussion on strategic issues and expand bilateral
economic and technical cooperation.
Wen also suggested China and the EU handle their differences in
a more timely and effective manner by improving consultation
between the two countries. China is ready to establish various
forms of dialogue mechanisms with the EU, said Wen.
Prodi reaffirmed the EU's continued adherence to the one-China
policy and expressed its hope for a peaceful resolution of the
Taiwan question through constructive dialogue, according to a joint
Sino-EU press statement issued after the talks.
The two sides Thursday put their names to a customs cooperation
and mutual administrative assistance agreement. This will further
facilitate increasing bilateral trade flows and contribute to
tackling breaches of customs legislation including infringements of
intellectual property rights, a major concern of both sides.
They also signed a joint declaration on co-operation on the
Galileo satellite navigation system as well as three Sino-EU
framework documents on the textile trade, competition policy and
trade policy.
Speaking at a joint press conference after the talks, Wen said
China supports the EU's process of expansion and integration. He
said a strong and stable Europe will play a more positive and
constructive role in both European and international affairs.
In his speech delivered to the China-EU Investment and Trade
Forum held before the talks, Wen urged the EU to recognize China's
full market economy status at an early date.
He said a socialist market economy has virtually taken shape in
China due to the rapid growth of the non-public sector, which has
taken up a considerable share of the national economy, with the
marketplace determining the prices of more than 90 percent of
products in the nation.
China has streamlined its policies, measures, laws and
regulations in order to keep in line with World Trade Organization
(WTO) requirements and Chinese enterprises have gained an
independent footing due to the transformation of government
functions and the deepening of structural reform, said Wen.
And China-based foreign-funded firms will also receive
preferential treatment with regard to taxation and a host of other
issues, Wen said.
He said China follows a market-based, single and regulated
floating exchange rate regime and is committed to improving its
exchange rate forming mechanism.
With social security coverage expanding steadily, the rights and
interests of workers regarding issues such as pensions,
work-related injuries, medical care and unemployment benefits have
been effectively guaranteed.
"I hope the EU will take a full note of these facts and
recognize China's status as a full market economy at an early
date," Wen said, adding that such recognition would undoubtedly
lead to a fresh round of expansion in China-EU trade and economic
co-operation.
In the joint press statement, Prodi confirmed that a preliminary
assessment of this issue, without prejudicing the final result,
would be given to the Chinese side by the end of next month.
At the forum, where nearly 500 people from the EU business
community took part, Wen also made a five-point proposal to further
expand bilateral economic ties, which he said are an essential
feature of Sino-EU relations.
Bilateral trade reached a record US$125.2 billion in 2003,
making the EU China's third largest trading partner, after the
United States and Japan.
Wen proposed that both sides tap their potential to expand scale
and increase volume of bilateral trade. At last year's China-EU
Summit in Beijing, Wen proposed that bilateral trade reach US$200
billion by 2013. He said Sino-EU trade is likely to top US$150
billion this year.
Wen said China and EU should increase joint high-tech research
and development, with a view to developing internationally
competitive products and opening up new markets, alongside
promoting cooperation in traditional areas of products procurement,
technology transfer and investment.
Wen said the two sides should help small and medium-sized
businesses emerge as a vital player in the China-EU economic
partnership by offering such services as information, financing and
cooperation platform and giving a full scope to the role of
intermediary agencies.
The premier reiterated that China will continue to honor its
commitments to the WTO by stepping up protection of intellectual
property rights and increasing the fairness and transparency of its
trade and economic policies, laws and regulations.
He called on the EU to ease its restrictions on high-tech
exports to China and lift import bans that are inconsistent with
the WTO rules.
Wen also held a separate meeting with Javier Solana, the
secretary-general of the Council of the European Union and High
Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy on
Wednesday.
Wrapping up his visit to the EU headquarters, Wen Thursday flew
to Rome to continue his five-nation European trip.
(China Daily May 7, 2004)