Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing, who met in Vienna Friday with the foreign
policy troika of the European Union (EU), unveiled a blueprint for
boosting relations between the EU and China for 2006.
Li told the EU troika, which consists of Austrian Foreign
Minister Ursula Plassnik, Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs
Erkki Tuomioja, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and EU
commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, that
both sides should make good preparations for the ninth China-EU
summit, to be held in the second half of this year.
The foreign minister said both sides should properly handle the
trade dispute and keep the momentum of the bilateral trade, urging
the EU side to make progress on recognizing China's full market
economy status.
Since 2004, the EU has become the biggest trading partner of
China and China is the second biggest trading partner of the
EU.
While extending appreciation for bilateral cooperation on
science last year, the Galileo Project in particular, Li proposed
to deepen the cooperation and to start preparations for launching
the EU-China Science Year.
He also said China and the EU should continue to enhance
communication and cooperation on a number of international
outstanding issues like the Iran nuclear issue, the UN reform, and
the Middle East situation.
The minister also reminded his EU colleagues of tackling China's
concerns on various issues.
The EU troika said the EU side would make concerted efforts to
achieve a lot at the upcoming EU-China summit, extending hopes that
both sides take concrete cooperation measures on trade, civil
aviation, environment protection and tourism.
They called for the launch of the talks on the new partnership
framework agreement, saying such a comprehensive treaty would fit
the requirements of the EU-China strategic relations.
The new partnership framework agreement, if signed by both
sides, will become the legal basis for the EU-China relations, and
it will replace the current economic cooperation agreement, which
was signed in 1985.
The EU troika vowed to make more efforts on recognizing China's
full market economy status.
They also said the EU adheres to the one-China policy.
(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2006)