Brussels, 27/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, Chris Patten, European Commissioner for External Affairs, is to begin an official visit to China, then Singapore. "I am looking forward immensely to this trip. (…) The range of issues of mutual interest for China and the European Uion expands every year, and encompasses everything from reform of China's social security and local governance structures, through sustainable development, to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula", he said the day before leaving for his official visit to Beijing at an invitation from the Chinese government. Regarding Singapore, the Union shares with this country "a common vision of global and regional free trade, and regional integration, which makes us natural partners, and underpins the Commission's decision to open a delegation there in 2002". In Beijing, Mr Patten will meet President Jiang Zemin as well as ministers and other senior policy makers with whom he will discuss the strategy document, among other things, recently adopted by the European Commission (see EUROPE of 2 March, p.14). He is also to sign financing agreements on two new cooperation projects for the European Study Centres Programme and the Energy/Environment Programme. He will address: - the Central Party School on "Developing Europe's External Policy in the Age of Globalisation" (Beijing); - the China Europe International Business School (Shanghai), an institution partly funded by the EU and recently voted one of the 50 best business schools in the world, and the second in Asia, less than 10 years after its inauguration; - the Fudan University; - and the European Chamber of Commerce (Shanghai). In Singapore, Chris Patten will meet government officials, will confirm the arrangements agreed for the opening of the new delegation of the European Commission, and will address business leaders as well as the Asia-Europe Foundation.