Brussels, 20/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The first summit since the arrival of the new Chinese power will officially launch the negotiations for a bilateral agreement on investment.
On 21-22 November, Beijing will host the 16th bilateral EU-China summit where President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and their new Chinese hosts - President Xi Jinping and Prime Minster Li Keqiang, who took up office at the start of 2013 - will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the strategic partnership that was set up in 2003.
With bilateral trade and economic relations being stepped up over the last ten years, during the era of China's President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, this summit will enable the European and Chinese leaders to plan the next ten years of cooperation with the adoption of a strategic programme for security, prosperity and sustainable development for the period up to 2020. By focusing on sustainable urbanisation and innovation, green growth will also be one of the priority themes for the summit - as will energy security.
Trade will also feature in an important position as - despite their persistent friction - the EU and China will officially launch their negotiations for an agreement on investment (which they want to finalise within 30 months from now). The negotiating directives granted to the European Commission by the 28 EU member states provide for an agreement which will focus both on the protection of investments (fair and non-discriminatory treatment, compensation in case of expropriation and legal security) and on better market access for EU investors and China. This agreement will replace the 27 bilateral investment agreements that exist between the member states and China (only Ireland has not so far had one). While bilateral trade in goods remains enormous (€435 billion in 2012), investment flows remain below their potential - EU foreign direct investment (FDI) in China was €17.5 billion in 2011, while Chinese FDI in the EU stood at €2.8 billion.
The big world challenges (global economic situation and G20 process, climate change and sustainable development, fight against terrorism, cyber-security and non-proliferation) are also on the agenda for the summit - as are issues of regional security (Korean peninsula, East Asia) and international security (Africa - China is engaged in operations for maintaining peace in Mali and against piracy off the coast of Somalia - the Middle East, Syria and Iran).
The ever-sensitive issue of human rights will also be on the agenda. Criticised for its clampdown on freedom of expression - especially on the internet - the new Chinese regime has recently announced its decision to abolish progressively the system of re-education through labour camps (the laojiao) by which people can be sent to camps for years - without a trial or court decision. Beijing has reportedly also decided to reduce gradually the number of crimes punishable by the death penalty. These are initiatives which should be welcomed by the EU. The visit to China in mid-September of the EU special representative for human rights - which included visits to Tibet and Quinghai - enabled new channels of communicaiton to be opened between Brussels and Beijing on human rights. (EH/transl.fl)