Brussels, 13/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The 4th annual high-level EU-China meeting on regional cooperation policy took place in Brussels on Tuesday 13 October within the framework of the EU-China structured dialogue on regional policy. Regional Policy Commissioner Pawe³ Samecki and First Vice-Minister from the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China Du Ying agreed on a joint working programme for 2010 to pursue a mutually beneficial exchange of experience on regional policy.
The meeting focused on three joint actions, the Commission says in a press release: (1) publication of a joint study on EU-China regional policies: the study, which should be ready by the end of the year, will compare key aspects of regional policy in China and the EU including the classification of regions, regional governance issues, and the role of regional policy in promoting innovation and competitiveness; (2) a two-week training programme for about 30 Chinese participants, which would include visits to projects supported by EU regional policy in different member states; (3) a joint study with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to review innovation policy in selected Chinese provinces in 2010-2011.
Commissioner Samecki's spokesman Dennis Abbott said that speakers from China, Germany, Finland and UK took part in a workshop on clusters and innovation held in the Open Days in Brussels on 8 October (see EUROPE 9995 for the BusinessEurope recommendations on this issue). The Chinese delegation, from the Yangtze River Delta Area, went on to visit the UK at the invitation of the East of England Development Agency, which is responsible for running EU funded projects in the area. As a result, there are plans to set up an EU-China exchange programme for national and regional representatives to focus on innovation and clusters.
The EU and China have a number of points in common, the spokesman pointed out. Despite impressive growth rates among EU member states, one region in four has a GDP per inhabitant equal to or less than 75% of the European average; similarly, China has wide regional differences, between the coastal regions that are expanding rapidly, with 10% of regions accounting for 58% of national GDP, while 11 regions in the west of the country account for only 13% of GDP.
A memorandum of understanding on regional policy was signed in 2006. The first EU-China regional seminar was held in Beijing in May 2006, the second in Brussels in October 2007 and the third in Chongqing in November 2008. The next high-level meeting will take place in October 2010 in Shanghai. (G.B./transl.rt)