09/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - Vladimir Spidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, will be in China for a visit from 11-15 January. While there, he will meet Tian Chengping, Minister for Labour and Social Security in China. He will sign an EU-China agreement to promote policy dialogue on issues of common interest and on long-term challenges in employment and social policy, such as demographic ageing and the financing of retirement schemes. “The Chinese are particularly attentive to how the Union has carried out its enlargement process, making countries change from a planned economy to a market economy”, explained Jean-Paul Tricart, who prepared the Commissioner's visit. “The very fact that China and the EU are talking about reform of social and employment policy shows that their relations are not purely trade relations”, he added. Furthermore, the employment commissioner will sign an agreement with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank that collaborates in reform of social policies in China. (L.B.S.)