The European Council is expected to call, on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 October, for further ‘coherent’ efforts to implement the March 2019 Communication entitled ‘EU-China - A Strategic Perspective' (see EUROPE 12212/20).
According to draft conclusions dated 30 September and obtained by EUROPE, EU leaders are expected to invite the Commission and the High Representative to present a progress report on the implementation of the Communication by March 2021.
The draft conclusions reiterate the need to rebalance the economic relationship and achieve reciprocity, and they underline the objective of finalising, by the end of the year, the negotiations for an ambitious comprehensive investment agreement “which takes account of existing asymmetries in market access, contributes to the creation of a level playing field, and establishes commitments on sustainable development”.
Leaders also are expected to call on Beijing to live up to its commitments to tackle market access barriers, make progress on overcapacity, and engage in negotiations on industrial subsidies at the World Trade Organization.
China is also expected to be encouraged to assume greater responsibility in managing global challenges, including more ambitious climate and biodiversity measures and support for multilateral responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this respect, the European Council is expected to define as an “important step in the right direction” the Chinese declaration on a carbon neutrality target by 2060 (see EUROPE 12566/4).
Finally, the European Council is expected to reiterate European concerns about the human rights situation in China, including developments in Hong Kong and the treatment of persons belonging to minorities.
See the draft EU Council conclusions: https://bit.ly/2HJet2R (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)