Barroso's statement made after meeting with Wen
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We believe that both the international process after Copenhagen and the bilateral cooperation raise a great potential for the relations of China and the EU.
In fact we had an in-depth discussion of energy policy. Both China and the EU are resolved to act as responsible global energy players so as to ensure energy security and sustainability. Tomorrow I will have the pleasure of inaugurating the EU-China Clean Energy Centre here in Beijing, a key tool to strengthen our cooperation on clean-energy technologies, and this a key element in our efforts to combat climate change.
For this year, we have agreed a very ambitious program, which I will not detail now but in fact reflects the importance that both sides give to this dialogue.
We have also mentioned extensively people-to-people contacts and culture, and there will be in fact an EU-China Forum during the next EU-China Summit in Brussels later this year.
So I'm giving you a very wide appreciation of the very, very vast fields in which we have intended to further our cooperation. There are no taboos in our discussions and in fact we address matters of concern. I welcome the fact that we are deepening our dialogue on human rights and during this meeting also we have exchanged our opinions based on the regular dialogue we have on human rights. We believe that it is essential to respect human rights also and it is an important part of our dialogue.
I think it is important to translate this relationship in terms of better understanding, trust, and respect. For this, openness is essential; to have this kind of information, access to information, so that our peoples can know each other better. That's one of the reasons why tomorrow I'll have the pleasure, with HR Catherine Ashton, to be present in the Shanghai Expo opening ceremony. It will provide a window for both sides, for China to be better known and respected, and this is indeed an occasion also to celebrate our relationship.
The announced Europe-China Year of Youth in 2011 offers also an excellent opportunity to step up our relations by focusing on our young people, a very important resource for our societies. We are aiming for an increase in the exchanges at student and academic levels.
And when I look back, and now I can speak with some perspective, because I was for the last six years in six EU-China summits, working very closely with PM Wen. We always had this kind of very deep cooperation. I saw progress in the EU-China relationship, not only addressing political dialogue, but also progress in very concrete programs, programs developed here in China, and development also in our dialogue regarding global issues. That is why I am very happy with the results of this meeting, and once again on my behalf, and on behalf of all the team of commissioners that came from Brussels today to Beijing, I want to thank you for your hospitality and for the constructive approach you have had, PM Wen, and all the members of your delegation, during our meeting.
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