Creating a Bright Future for China-EU Relations Based on Achievement and Success

Song Tao

China and the EU established a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2003, ushering in a historic chapter in China-EU relations. In the past ten years, the China-EU strategic partnership has expanded to cover more areas. The two sides’interests are becoming more and more closely intertwined, and considerable progress has been achieved in their cooperation in various fields. Against the backdrop of the ever-deepening world multipolarization and economic globalization, China-EU relationship has be-come one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. Further expanding and deepening China-EU strategic partnership conforms not only to the fundamental interests of the two sides, but also to the peace,stability and development of the world as a whole.

I

In the past ten years, the world has witnessed the maturation of a China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. Also in the past ten years, the two sides have put in place a cooperative framework led by the annual summit and supported by the high-level strategic dialogue, the high-level economic and trade dialogue and the high-level people-to-people dialogue. Their dialogue and consultation mechanisms in various fields have increased from 19 to more than 60. Comprehensive cooperation patterns featuring multi-tiered and wide-ranging dialogue and cooperation are becoming more perfect. The Chinese government has always kept to the strategic direction of China-EU relations,pushing China-EU relations to move forward along the right track. The view that“China and the EU are partners rather than competitors and that their cooperation is a win-win outcome,not a zero-sum game”has become a consensus of view to both sides. In the past ten years, under joint efforts by both sides, China-EU relations have withstood the test of changing international circumstances and are now developing healthily in an upward direction. China and the EU are approaching 40 years of international relations. As the great Chinese philosopher Confucius said,“At 30, I had planted my feet firm upon the ground. At 40, I no longer suffered from perplexities.”

The past ten years have seen a substantial improvement in the scale and quality of China-EU pragmatic cooperation. Since 2003, China-EU trade has witnessed an average annual growth of 20.8%, with the two-way trade value reaching a record high US$567.2 billion in 2011. The EU has been China’s largest trading partner for eight consecutive years and China has emerged as the EU’s second largest trading partner. In the course of Reform and Opening-up, China has learned a lot from the advanced technology and management expertise of European countries.The EU is China’s largest source of technology imports; contracts in this field have reached an aggregate sum of US$150 billion.In the meantime, China’s development also provides a huge market for the EU. Investment by EU businesses in China has grown rapidly and now exceeds US$80 billion in total. Despite the international financial crisis and the European debt crisis,EU companies doing business in China have earned handsome returns. Fast-growing Chinese imports from Europe and China’s rising investment in Europe have created a substantial number of jobs in EU countries.In the past ten years, China-EU economic and trade cooperation has strengthened, and the two sides have increasingly developed into a community of mutual interest with both sides interdependent on each other.

China and the EU have increasingly developed into a community of mutual interest with both sides interdependent on each other.

The past ten years have also seen the rapid growth of China-EU cultural exchanges and people-to-people friendships.Over the past ten years, China and EU member states have frequently hosted Culture Year and Culture Festival events in each other’s countries. The 2011 EU-China Year of Youth was held successfully, during which the two sides co-hosted more than 120 exchange activities, attracting 160,000 Chinese and European young participants, with media coverage reaching up to 100 million people. This made it the largest-scale personnel exchange activity held by China and the EU in history. China has set up 3 cultural centers, 95 Confucius Institutes and 92 Confucius Classes in European countries. France, Germany,Spain and other European countries have also established cultural centers in China. By the end of 2011, the total number of Chinese students studying in EU countries reached 235,100.EU students studying in China have increased in number,accounting for 10.5% of the total overseas students studying in China in 2011. In 2011, over 5 million people engaged in mutual exchanges and the EU developed into an important tourist source region for Chinese tourism. In the past decade,growing China-EU cultural and people-to-people exchanges have vigorously promoted mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, helping consolidate the social basis for healthy China-EU relations.

The past ten years have also seen strengthening China-EU communication and coordination on the international stage.The two sides have maintained regular consultations on global issues, such as counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and climate change, as well as on regional issues like the Middle Eastern issue and Iran’s nuclear issue, playing an active role in safeguarding world peace and stability. China and the EU have strengthened dialogue and consultations in response to global issues such as energy and food security and the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals,thus promoting mutual understanding between North and South and enhancing the common development of the world.In the wake of the international financial crisis, China and the EU pushed forward the reform on international economic and financial system and global governance to make new progress in such institutions as the G20 and the IMF. The two sides have also engaged in excellent cooperation in the field of antipiracy escort. In the past decade, China-EU relations have gone beyond the bilateral scope and acquired important international influence.

The practice of the past ten years has demonstrated that the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership has developed rapidly and scored significant achievements. This has not only supported the development of China and the EU and brought tangible interests to the peoples of the two sides. It has also contributed significantly to global peace, development and prosperity.

II

Reviewing the development of China-EU relations over the past ten years, the enormous vitality and huge success of bilateral relations can be attributed to the following points:

First, advocacy for a multipolar world is the strategic foundation of China-EU relations.China and the EU are two important forces in the world. The two sides have no fundamental conflicts of interest, and both advocate a multipolar world and oppose unilateralism. On the path toward a multipolar world,China’s Reform and Opening-up and the EU’s integration have promoted world peace, stability and development. It is because of their profound understanding of the global trend toward multipolarization and multilateralism that China and the EU are able to engage in win-win cooperation on their respective paths of development. This demonstrates the strategic, stable and comprehensive nature of China-EU relations. Given the profound and complex changes of the international situation at present, the EU, despite its being deep in a debt crisis,still possesses a solid economic foundation, advanced science and technologies, and highly qualified human resources. As a result, it remains an important force on the international stage.China views the EU and China-EU relations from a strategic perspective - it maintains that the EU is an important pillar of the multipolar world and it is confident for the prospect of European integration.

Second, mutual benefits and win-win outcomes are the essential features of China-EU cooperation.As the largest developing country and the largest group of developed countries in the world, both China and the EU have much to benefit from each other’s economic strength. Pursuing cooperation for mutual benefit is critical choice in the long run, injecting great impetus to the development of China-EU relations. At a time when economic globalization is continuously deepening, China-EU cooperation is in a historical period of“two transcendences.”The first is to transcend traditional fields - the cooperation between the two sides is not simply the buyer-seller relationship any more.Rather, it extends to such top-end fields as urbanization and new energy that are relevant to the future of the development of the two sides. The second is to transcend the bilateral category- the influence of China-EU cooperation is no longer confined to the development of the two sides. Against the background of the international financial crisis and the European debt crisis, stronger China-EU cooperation will play a positive role in facilitating an early recovery of the world economy.

Third, advocacy for plural civilizations is a unique advantage of China-EU exchanges.As the representatives of the Eastern civilization and Western civilization, the Chinese and European civilizations are like two brilliant pearls, adding radiance and beauty to each other at the two ends of the Eurasian Continent. In spite of differences in historical and cultural backgrounds, values and social systems, there are many convergences, largely because China stands for harmony instead of uniformity. China’s advocacy for a“harmonious world”bears strong resemblance to the EU emphasis on being“United in Diversity.”This provides the basis and conditions for the two sides to learn from each other and achieve the common prosperity of different civilizations. For a long time, China and the EU both adhered to the diversity of civilizations, endeavoring to promote the dialogue and exchange of different civilizations.China and the EU have every reason to view the differences of each other’s civilizations with a more open and inclusive approach. As such, they must handle problems arising from cooperation with the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences. They must pursue mutual respect and equal treatment, all while not harping on differences between their civilizations. This will allow both sides to make fresh contributions to the progress of the human community.

III

The international environment continues to undergo complex and profound changes. The global trend toward multipolarity and economic globalization are deepening, cultural diversity is increasing, and the information society is fast emerging.China-EU relations are facing unparalleled opportunities,but they also continue to face great challenges. The report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC) clearly establishes China’s goal to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and deepen reforms in an all-round way. It also calls for the acceleration of changes in China’s growth model, strengthening social development by improving people’s well-being and making innovations in management, and emphasizing the importance of ecological progress. As China’s largest trading partner, the EU has edges in such areas as capital, technology, innovative management, high-level personnel and ecological conservation,and it will certainly remain an indispensible major partner for China along its path of development. At the same time, the EU has also entered a crucial period of development characterized by accelerated changes and adjustments and deepened integration.It must collaborate with China to push for reforms and seek development in an ever-changing international environment. It is a strategic imperative for the EU to strengthen cooperation with China to gain new growth momentum and achieve further development. China-EU relations look poised to forge ahead in a broader scope and at a higher level.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that problems, both old and new, are still hampering the development of China-EU relations. First, obstacles hindering the long-term development of bilateral ties remain unresolved. The EU has yet to lift its ban on arms exports to China and recognize the country’s full market economy status. These two issues, which are essentially tantamount to political discrimination against China, erode the foundation of mutual trust on which China-EU cooperation is based. The sooner the EU addresses these issues with political wisdom, the sooner China-EU relations will be relieved of these developmental burdens. Second, with its many prejudices and suspicions against China, the EU often interferes in China’s domestic affairs on sensitive human rights issues. From 2008 to 2009, China-EU relations hit a rough patch following the EU’s erroneous statements and actions regarding Chinese region of Tibet. Third, the lingering European debt crisis has dealt a blow to China-EU cooperation and trade growth. Against the backdrop of debt crisis, trade protectionism has gained in popularity in Europe, severely jeopardizing the efforts on both sides to overcome difficulties.

The two sides should adopt a“forward-looking”approach in the face of these problems. They should stick to the basic strategic goal of developing a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU, advocating dialogue instead of confrontation,cooperation instead of friction, and win-win results instead of a zero-sum game. Under new conditions, it is particularly important to have a good grasp of the following four types of relationships:

1. The relationship between dominant and subordinate trends

Both sides should recognize the mainstream cooperation of China-EU relations, while still remaining keenly aware of the importance of settling disputes and problems in an appropriate way. Cooperation has always prevailed in China-EU relations.The outstanding disputes and problems will not shake or alter the general direction of these relations. China and the EU should firmly see each other’s development as important opportunities and effectively integrate their development strategies to strengthen the convergence of interests and expand mutually beneficial cooperation. They should deepen cooperation in global governance to make the international political and economic order more just and equitable. While boosting bilateral cooperation, the two sides should adopt a forward-looking approach to properly resolve the problems that may arise in their cooperation. They must settle cognitive differences and trade frictions through dialogues based on the principles of mutual respect, equal treatment and mutual benefit.

2. The relationship between EU institutions and members

China should spare no efforts to deepen cooperation with the EU as a whole, but it must also take solid steps to cement bonds with individual EU members. China’s relations with EU institutions and its relations with EU members are both important components of China-EU relations that are mutually reinforcing and inseparable. EU institutions, products of European integration, are bound to play a bigger role in the EU’s foreign relations as Europe presses ahead with integration.These institutions can and should guide and coordinate policies on China-EU cooperation. Cooperation between China and EU member states lays the groundwork for China-EU relations. In recent years, China’s relations with all EU countries have taken rapid strides. China has been active in exploring new models and channels for cooperation with different European countries in light of their distinct characteristics; these efforts have contributed greatly to the advancement of overall China-EU cooperation. It should be pointed out that cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries has become a highlight of China-EU relations this year.

3. The relationship between innovation and continuity

China and the EU should look to the future of bilateral cooperation, but they must also be fully mindful of their historical legacies. The expansion of China-EU cooperation requires both sides to look ahead with a future-oriented vision. Under current conditions, China-EU cooperation is like a boat sailing against the stream: it must move forward or it will be driven back. The two sides should work in concert, in spite of some difficulties, to devise a midand long-term cooperation plan and carry out forward-looking and practical cooperation in such areas as trade, investment,infrastructure, technological innovation, urbanization and culture. Meanwhile, the development of China-EU relations calls for reviewing past experiences.Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the EU have learned a number of lessons. Of these, mutual respect,equality, respect for each other’s major interests and adherence to dialogue and consultation to address conflicts have been internalized as vital principles in the development of bilateral relations. Only by consistently observing these principles can they keep their relations on a healthy and stable development track. Otherwise, China-EU cooperation will experience fluctuations and setbacks.

Under current conditions, China-EU cooperation is like a boat sailing against the stream: it must move forward or it will be driven back.

4. The relationship between top-level attention and public aspirations

China and the EU should bring the pioneering role of high-level contacts into full play, but it must also continue to emphasize the deepening of important people-to-people exchanges. First,China-EU relations should stand high. They should attach importance to charting the course of cooperation with a top-down approach. They should adhere to the strategic guidance provided by leaders’meetings, promote strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation, and ensure the development of China-EU relations using strong political mechanisms. More importantly, China-EU cooperation demands concrete steps.They should devote more efforts in non-governmental exchanges so that people in China and Europe can understand the great importance and far-reaching implications of China-EU relations.This will help the idea of China-EU cooperation to spread from the elites to the public. Both sides should do a good job in implementing agreed-upon cultural exchange programs. They should also encourage cultural, educational, intellectual and scholarly, media, youth and other exchanges at various levels to bolster mutual understanding, narrow differences and shape public opinion in favor of bilateral collaboration.

Remarkable progress has been achieved in China-EU relations over the past decade. New dimensions have been added to future China-EU relations given the trends of the times and the demands of both sides for development. General Secretary Hu Jintao, in his report to the 18th CPC National Congress,said that“China will continue to hold high the banner of peace,development, cooperation and mutual benefit and strive to uphold world peace and promote common development.”In this process, filled with hopes and expectations for its relations with the EU, China is willing to work together with the EU to create a mutually beneficial, comprehensive strategic partnership characterized by understanding and mutual respect. The two sides must continue to cooperate economically and learn from each other through cultural exchanges and communication in international affairs, all in an effort to advance comprehensive,healthy and stable China-EU relations. If China and the EU can accomplish this, together they will jointly usher in a bright future for mankind.