Chinese and EU negotiators are working intensively towards a new
strategic partnership pact ahead of next month's China-EU summit,
senior diplomats said.
Sources close to the negotiations said the EU's stance on
China's market economy status and lifting the arms embargo are
likely to emerge as major points in the pact, but refused to go
into details.
In addition to further strengthening economic and trade ties,
Chinese diplomats said the two sides had planned to expand
cooperation in the fight against climate change, terrorism, energy
shortages and other pressing challenges brought by
globalization.
"All the negotiations and preparations are well under way and we
hope the coming summit can solidify the foundation of the Sino-EU
strategic partnership," Zhang Qiyue, Chinese ambassador to Belgium
told China Daily.
Guan Chengyuan, Chinese ambassador to the EU delegation,
confirmed China's stance at a plenary session of the four-day
China-Europe Forum, which closed yesterday.
"We are looking forward to a new and solid legal foundation to
boost the strategic partnership between the two sides," Guan
said.
More than 1,000 Chinese and European participants attended the
forum. EU officials said they were strongly committed to maturing
the EU's comprehensive strategic partnership with China.
Dirk Sterckx, chairman of the European Parliament's Delegation
for Relations with China, said: "Trade and economic cooperation
should not be the only factors" of the China-EU new
partnership.
Zhang Qiyue said China is still being attacked by deep-rooted
prejudice and misunderstanding that it is "a threat, with no human
rights and no democracy."
She blamed deliberate smear campaigns by some foreign
politicians that attempt to discredit China's peaceful role in the
world to protect certain global interests.
"We need to sit down and listen to the voices from all walks of
life to see what is the real situation in China," Zhang said.
Jacques Delors, the former president of European Commission and
honorary president of the forum said Chinese participants had
expressed very "frank views" on every topic discussed since last
Thursday.
(China Daily October 8, 2007)
