By Liu Xige
The long-term cooperation between China and the EU in the fields
of trade and economics and the constantly developing bilateral
relations between Beijing and individual EU nations have combined
to help lay solid foundations for overall cooperation.
It is possible a new type of strategic partnership could be
forged if the two parties maneuver to accommodate and suit each
other. This relationship is long term, stable and mutually
beneficial by nature, and has a great impact on international
politics.
China and the EU are very much aware that their own future
strategic positions are largely determined by their relationships
with the outside world. China's drive for modernization through
peaceful development and the EU's push for integration are both
rational options based on strategic judgments and are in their
fundamental interests.
A strategic partnership does not necessarily require that both
sides should have totally identical values, but demands that the
two parties should arrive at a basically correct assessment of each
other. Mutual acceptance and largely identical interests combine to
form the shared strategic judgment of China and the EU.
China's positive attitude towards European integration and the
EU's obliging attitude towards China's peaceful development
constitute the basis of mutual recognition.
At the core of the "European concept," which helps promote
European integration, are multilateralism and approaching
international security matters in a comprehensive way.
EU multilateralism refers to its emphasis on the UN's paramount
authority with regard to handling important world affairs, its
attaching importance to the role played by international
organizations and multilateral mechanisms, upholding of
international law and multilateral accords, pushing for
international and regional cooperation and its maintenance of
resolving international disputes and conflicts through
negotiations.
The comprehensive approaches mean the EU applies a package of
policies and measures involving politics, diplomacy, trade, foreign
aid, culture, democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the
prevention and handling of international crises in an effort to
make up for its insufficient military strength.
These two factors constitute the EU's "soft strength," helping
it play an important role in world affairs.
The wisdom of the "European concept" and the success of the EU
model in dealing with world affairs and crises tally, to a certain
extent, with China's strategic ideas and its peaceful
development.
But it should be noted that there are some political blind spots
and insufficiency of trust on the part of the EU in terms of its
relationship with China, in spite of China gaining increasingly
important status. If one side regards the other as an entity to be
led and reformed politically, the relations between the two parties
naturally deteriorate.
Although the ideological colors in the relationship between the
EU and China have faded significantly, the EU still harbors
political prejudice against China on some matters. This only serves
to affect mutual political trust, making some problems thornier and
unnecessarily complex.
Historical experience shows that the exterior forces' influence
on China's policies are very much limited. China's fusing into the
rest of the world is a process being carried out of its own choice
and the orientation of its development is not to be dictated by
outside factors.
At the same time, China's opening up and reform is also a
process of learning from the rest of the world, absorbing the
experience of humanity's progress and upgrading itself; improving
its relations with the outside world, which automatically helps
improve the country's image worldwide.
Independence and embracing the world constitute two integral
parts of China's diplomatic principle. This also applies in its
developing strategic partnership with the EU.
Important changes have taken place both in China and the EU
since the end of the Cold War, both sides' comprehensive strength,
their influence in world affairs and their attraction to each other
all increasing. Both have become increasingly important and active
players in the world arena. The strategic partnership between China
and the EU is by no means a self-contained relationship. It is
bound to interact with the existing international set-up and with
other countries and alliances.
But all in all, the strategic partnership between the two sides
should never be manipulated and coerced by exterior forces at the
expense of one's own or one's strategic partner's interests.
Flexibility is called for in developing China-EU relations while
basic principles should be stuck to. Bilateral relations can
progress in an effective, steady and sustainable way on condition
that the balance in general international relationships is
maintained. The direction in which China-EU relations will proceed
will be determined by the two parties' basic interests and
strategic options.
This means refraining from elaborating on the EU lifting its
arms sales ban against China.
At present, both China and the EU agree the ultimate outcome of
this matter should not be allowed to go against the development of
the China-EU strategic partnership.
China is a developing country with a huge population but
relatively insufficient resources. The country's development,
comprehensive national strength and its international influence are
still disproportionate to the contribution to the world community
that should have been made, taking into account the country's size
and population. China's modernization drive still has a long way to
go.
The EU has its own problems, too eastward expansion playing out,
inner-alliance disputes, setbacks suffered in introducing a unified
constitution, sluggish economies and the lack of a unified
diplomatic and security policy.
It is expected that both China and the EU will overcome
difficulties and barriers, clear away inharmonious and uncertain
factors that are affecting bilateral relations, go beyond the
disputes in ideas and values, promote mutual strategic trust, find
more strategic common ground and brush aside exterior interference.
This will guarantee the forging of the strategic partnership in the
real sense of the phrase.
The author is a senior researcher with the Foundation of
International Strategic Studies.
(China Daily January 27, 2006)
