Brussels, 27/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - With just one week to go before the international conference on climate opens in Copenhagen (COP 15, 7-18 December), European leaders will seize the opportunity provided by the 12th EU/China summit, to be held on 30 November in Nanjing, to step up pressure on their Chinese hosts so that China shoulders a significant share of the burden in the context of the post-Kyoto agreement on reducing greenhouse gases. The Swedish prime minister and president-in-office of the European Council, Fredrik Reinfeldt, and the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, will seek to convince the Chinese authorities headed by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to do everything they can to reach an ambitious comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen. To this end, Beijing should be invited to make a bigger effort than its commitment, announced on 26 November, to reduce the carbon intensity of the Chinese economy - polluting emissions per unit of GDP - from 40% to 45% by 2020 compared to 2005, in exchange for which the EU would agree to step up cooperation in environmental matters, including technology transfers. Transition towards a green economy will be the main theme of the EU/China Business Summit the same day.
European and Chinese leaders will also tackle questions relating to international security - non-proliferation, Afghanistan, Burma/Myanmar, North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka - as well as economic, commercial and multilateral issues such as the Doha Round, and bilateral issues, such as the EU trade deficit towards China, or market economy status for China. The EU is expected to reaffirm its expectations concerning adequate protection of intellectual property rights in China and respect by China of its commitments in favour of fair trade, and China is expected to keep pressure up to ensure that the EU relaxes its trade defence policy, in particular so that it does not extend duties imposed on Chinese exports of Chinese footwear with leather uppers.
On Sunday, a European delegation on financial matters - headed by Luxembourg Prime Minister and Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker, Commissioner for Financial Affairs Joaquin Almunia and President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet - will call upon the Chinese government to revalue the national currency, China's yuan, for which the under-evaluated rate of exchange does not reflect the real strength of the Chinese economy to the detriment of the European and American economies. Despite some flexibility shown by Beijing recently under pressure from the United States, the EU and other Asian economies, China does not appear to foresee a significant re-evaluation of the yuan in the near future, in order not to slow down its ongoing economic recovery.
Finally, European and Chinese leaders are expected, on the sidelines of the summit, to sign several cooperation agreements such as a memorandum of understanding on phase 2 of a close-to-zero C02 carbon emissions project or a memorandum of understanding on a cooperation mechanism on industrial sectors. (E.H./transl.jl)