Brussels, 08/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - In the context of the EU/China round table on civil society, the president of the European Economic and Social Committee, Mario Sepi, will be in China, and in Tibet especially, from 9-17 September at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Wang Gang. This is the first visit to Tibet by the president of a European institutional body. The aim of the visit, Mr Sepi told EUROPE, is twofold. On one hand, it is to analyse the economic and social situation in Tibet in order to have a better idea of the problems of education, employment and health in an autonomous region whose difficulties in these areas date back to before the current global economic crisis. On one hand, it is a matter of establishing dialogue with members of the civil society and to explore fields of cooperation on education, access to employment and healthcare. “Our idea is that China's civil society should be autonomous within an institutional framework”, Mr Sepi stressed. He will be accompanied by two experts on these matters, the chairman of the follow-up committee on the EU/China round table specialised in health issues, Sukhdev Sharma of the UK (Group 3, Varied Interests); and the rapporteur on economic and social rights in China and Europe, Peter Clever of Germany (Group 1, Employers). The agenda of the Committee delegation on 9 and 10 September includes meetings in Beijing with Chinese leaders, including the deputy minister for European affairs, and the head of the EU delegation in China, Serge Abou. The Committee delegation will then go to Lhassa, the capital of Tibet, where meetings are scheduled with local leaders and representatives of government services on planning, the fight against poverty and protection of the environment, and with representatives of NGOs committed to programmes on child welfare, gender equality and the eradication of poverty. The delegation will complete its trip to China by returning to Beijing where, on 16-17 September, a meeting is planned with an official of the Chinese Communist party responsible for Tibetan affairs, as well as visits to the Tibetology research centre and universities for minority groups. (E.H./transl.jl)