Brussels, 20/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - Cooperation in the illegal immigration and Chinese accession to the World Trade Organisation should be the salient points of the EU/China summit, which will take pace in Beijing, next Monday 23 October. In a report adopted in September, the European Commission drew an mitigated assessment of the present cooperation, notably in the field of human rights (see EUROPE of 9 September and EUROPE/Document N° 2208/2209). It assures that "the socio-economic reforms, the development of human resources, education, the environment, the promotion of human rights and the rule of law will continue to be among the priorities" while proposing to deepen the cooperation in two new sectors: a) the fight against illegal immigration and organised crime, as was proposed by the Chinese Prime Minister, Zhu Rongji, during a visit to Brussels last July (see EUROPE of 12 July, p.6), b) the support to the economic reform process in the framework of the Chinese accession to the WTO, notably in the sectors of standardisation, homogenisation procedures and phyto-santiary, the regulation of real estate values, etc.
The Summit programme will follow three axis:
EU/China relations: 1) assessment and prospects of relations since first bilateral summit, 2) economic and trade relations, 3) advancements in work for Chinese accession tot he WTO, 4) cooperation in the following sectors: sciences, energy, environment, information technology, training of human resources and the opening of a dialogue on migratory flows and illegal immigration, 5) dialogue on human rights, ratification of the United Nations conventions, death penalty, rule of law.
Development within China and the European Union: security and defence policy, institutional reforms and enlargement of the European side, development towards the west and the 10th five year plan on the Chinese side.
International and regional issues: the two parties first intend to broach in this framework the process of rapprochement between the two Koreas, the situation in the Balkans and it issue of disarmament and non-proliferation.
The EU will be represented in Beijing by the President of the European Council Jacques Chirac (accompanied by two Ministers), by the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi (accompanied by Commissioners Lamy and Solbes) and by the High Representative for CFSP Javier Solana. The Chinese delegation will be lead by the Prime Minister Zhu Rougji and will include the Ministers for External Trade and the Governor of the Central Bank.