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A stronger China-Europe partnership will bring us all greater prosperity

By Li Keqiang: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, November 25, 2013

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The 16th China-EU Summit, which took place in Beijing this week, yielded fruitful results and issued the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Co-operation.

Chinese PremierLi Keqiang(C), European Council President Herman Van Rompuy (L) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso co-chair the 16th China-EU Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 21, 2013. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei]

It has announced the launch of negotiations on a China-EU investment agreement and set the goal of bringing China-EU trade to $1 trillion by 2020.

This is no low-hanging fruit and we need to jump to reach it, but I am confident we can attain that goal. The agenda will definitely provide more opportunities for economic and trade collaboration between China and Europe, including the UK.

China will, as always, firmly support Europe’s integration process. A united, stable and prosperous Europe is in the interest of the world and of China. The growth of mutually beneficial business ties between China and Europe will not only bring benefits to both sides; it will also create brighter prospects for China-Europe relations. This should be a win-win endeavour.

In a couple of days, I will pay my second visit of the year to Europe and will meet prime ministers of 16 central and eastern European countries in Bucharest, where we will explore ways to boost co-operation.

There is great potential for expanding co-operation between China and these countries and I look forward to working together with my colleagues from these nations to create a new impetus for developing our mutual relations.

The world economic recovery remains bumpy and fragile. To meet this common challenge, we need to continue to work together and help each other; at the same time, we also need to keep our own houses in order.

I am pleased to see that many European countries are leaving recession behind them and the EU economy is being put on a more stable footing; China also has a good report card for its economy.

At the beginning of this year, the tough, complex situation, both domestically and internationally, placed mounting downward pressure on the Chinese economy. Some were predicting, as reported overseas, a hard landing for the Chinese economy and some even claimed it would go bust.

We faced up to that pressure and stuck to the policy of not allowing either the deficit to grow or monetary expansion or contraction. Instead, we adopted a holistic approach based on innovative macro-economic management.

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