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The upcoming EU-China summit would inject "important impetus" to the development of the all-around strategic partnership between the two sides, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in Brussels Wednesday.
"I think it will give important impetus to bilateral relations," he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua before the eighth EU-China summit scheduled to be held in Beijing on September 5.
"What's most important is to have a good climate at the summit," he said.
Solana also sees 2005 as an important year for the bilateral relationship as it marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU.
"Therefore, it is important to create a mechanism for people-to-people relationship, so I'm looking forward to the summit," he said.
According to EU officials, among the dignitaries to attend the Beijing summit this year will be British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is holding the EU presidency, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Solana.
The summit will cover a wide range of topics, including political, economic and energy cooperation, a new framework agreement, the Galileo space project and the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER).
On the lifting of a 16-year-old arms embargo against China, Solana said it is still the EU's "intention" to take away the ban, which China views as a "political barrier" to the smooth expansion of bilateral relations.
"It remains the EU's intention to lift the arms embargo as soon as reasonably practical," Solana said.
The EU had previously planned to lift the ban in June, but it was unfulfilled due to fierce opposition from the US. Earlier this year, Solana himself visited the US to explain to Washington the EU's position on the issue.
"Further work continues to be necessary in order to make this possible, including explaining what we plan to do to European public opinion, as well as to our international partners, including the US but also China too," Solana said.
Solana, who have attended several EU-China summits, is hoping that the upcoming gathering will prove that the bilateral strategic partnership "matures."
"My expectation is that the dialogue between Chinese and EU leaders will be the most frank and open -- and therefore the most useful -- of any of the summits we have had so far," he said.
"The wealth of agreements we will be signing together on September 5 bears witness to the increasing levels of practical cooperation," he added.
Not long ago, the European Commission said it hoped to launch talks on the new EU-China framework agreement within this year, a pact aiming to replace the out-of-date Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 1985.
"An announcement that we will begin formal talks remains the realistic objective," he said in anticipation of a new framework for enhanced ties.
"A new agreement will make it much easier for us to realize the full potential of our partnership and will be a strong signal of our mutual commitment to deepen our relationship," he said.
Solana, who masterminded the EU's Security Strategy Paper of 2003 that designated China as the EU's strategic partner, is optimistic about "very good" prospects for bilateral strategic relations.
"EU-China relations have already developed significantly in the last few years. I am confident this trend will continue," said the EU's top diplomat.
"We have many shared objectives, and it thus makes sense for us both to combine our political and practical efforts, and with other international partners too," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2005)
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