The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), published in Brussels its new strategy document Wednesday to guide EU policy and action towards China over the next two to three years.

The strategy paper identifies six priorities for EU-China relations in the coming years, including sharing responsibilities in promoting global governance, supporting China's reform process and promoting China's "economic opening domestically and externally."

The paper also contains a number of concrete proposals with a view to enhancing EU-China ties in key areas, including economic and trade relations and China's internal reform process.

"The last decade has seen a dynamic growth of the relationship between the EU and China, which has expanded well beyond the traditional areas of trade, investment and technical assistance," EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said.

"These changes have brought about a new maturity in the relationship characterized by an increasingly close policy coordination in many areas," Patten told a press conference in Brussels. "This paper takes stock of the many changes in Europe, China and the rest of the world since our last policy paper on China in 2001. The EU has successfully introduced the euro and is completing its largest-ever enlargement. China has joined the WTO and a new generation of leaders has recently taken the reins in Beijing," he said.

"In addition, faced with a changing international environment with new types of security concerns such as terrorism or the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, we have an ever-greater interest to work as strategic partners on the international scene to safeguard and promote sustainable development, peace and stability," Patten added.

(China Daily September 11, 2003)