On the eve of the 16th EU China summit, we were caught up with the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, to find out if the Eurozone is really on the path to recovery and how he hopes to strengthen relations between Europe and China.
"The EU China summits have become increasingly important over the years as a way of not only understanding, but encouraging what has become one of the world’s biggest trade relationships. What are you hoping to achieve at this year’s gathering?" Said Jack Barton.
"I think this summit is very important. It is the first summit where we meet the new leadership even if for instance I have met Premier Li several times before he was premier of China and it is the tenth anniversary of our comprehensive strategic partnership. This summit will be important also because of the general topic Green Growth in a Safer World’. But I see apart from that general topic six important issues we should address in Beijing. First of all to look on the past ten decades to see what will be our relationship and to have this vision in strategic terms. Second to launch the terms of an ambitious investment agreement, thirdly to launch this innovation dialogue , then it is important that we focus on energy security, then what is important as well is the exchange between researchers and students we also now have in the budget the possibility of more exchanges between China and Europe and last but not least what we can do in the international forum, for instance the G20 or the United Nations, for instance at the G20 there is a very good cooperation between the EU and China." Said Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission.
"You mentioned investment. In the short to medium term is that one area that China and the EU should focus more constructively on because right now it certainly lags well behind trade?" Said Jack Barton.
"Yes it is true there is a huge potential in investment, but if there is progress we believe an ambitious agreement on investment, and agreement that can cover both investment protection and market access can be a very important contribution in this deepening relationship, that is what we are looking at the ambitious agreement and we launched negotiations." Said Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission.
"We almost saw a trade war at the start of this year. Tension have eased enormously since then but does more need to be done to create perhaps a trade hotline or some sort of mechanism that can help avoid serious trade disputes before they reach boiling point?" Said Jack Barton.
"When the relationship is so intense as it is today and trade volume so high it’s only natural that here and there some problems can come. What I think is important is that when the problems come or we see the problems coming is that we have a mechanism of discussing issues in a cooperative manner giving the first priority our overall strategic partnership as we have done in recent cases and the fact that we were able through negotiations, through the spirit of compromise to solve some of these issues that are natural to happen sometimes is in fact creating a very good precedent for the future." Said Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission.
Source: CCTV
