EU-China relations "are vital for the EU, China and even the world," said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighborhood Policy, at an European Parliament (EP) session Wednesday.

Describing EU-China relations "multi-faceted," Ferrero-Waldner said the European Union (EU) would continue to promote its ties with the Asian nation.

She said the European Commission (EC) will continue to conduct "constructive engagement with China" as previous engagements had proved to be effective.

She said the anti-Europe sentiment in China aroused by disruptions of the Olympic torch relay in Europe was "short-lived, " noting that high-level visits to China by EC President Jose Manual Barroso and other commissioners took place soon after those incidents.

The commissioner also expressed sympathy to China over the "enormous" loss of lives in the Sichuan earthquake in May, saying "international sympathy" with China was very "important."

Ferrero-Waldner, together with Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, paid tribute to the quake victims and praised the Chinese government's swift response to the tragedy.

Ferrero-Waldner also conveyed her best wishes for next month's Beijing Olympic Games, saying "We wish China success" in the Games.

Meanwhile, EP member Nirj Dewahas praised the improvement of China's human rights situation, saying that only the Chinese are entitled to evaluate the condition of human rights in their country.

The human rights situation in China "cannot be decided by others," but should be decided by the 1.3 billion Chinese people themselves, Nirj Dewa told the EP session.

"China's human rights situation has improved and can be further improved," he said.

Dewa urged his colleagues to focus their attention on the efforts made by the Chinese government to lift "400 million people out of poverty."

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2008)