Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-10-Speech-3-176"
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"en.20020410.5.3-176"2
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". – The Commission welcomes Mr Graça Moura's report on the Commission's Communication on an EU strategy towards China.
As regards the issue of our cooperation with China I will take the liberty of informing Mr Dell'Alba that we are cooperating at a level of about EUR 50 million annually. We started from a traditional situation where we were funding quite a wide range of different activities. We are now at a point that is quite important, having approved in the Commission on 1 March this year a country strategy paper which brings our cooperation with China into the same mainstream as our global development policy, and which, is the responsibility of the Commissioner responsible for development cooperation.
The future priorities of our cooperation in China will be support for the social economic reform process, sustainable development and environment, and the promotion of good governance, human rights and the rule of law. We have singled out these issues from an analysis of what is needed in order to use our basic general principles of fighting poverty in a manner that fits China's situation.
Alongside the different aspects I have singled out here, there are several other issues to which we attach great importance, such as relations with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and international issues such as global warming and illegal migration that, unfortunately, I do not have sufficient time to comment on today.
However, I welcome the report's reconfirmation that the EU has a profound interest in a stable, prosperous and open China, which embraces democratic practices, free market principles, human rights and the rule of law, and that the EU must pursue policies which will help China further its endeavours in this direction. That is what we fully intend to do through our increased dialogues and cooperation across the board.
Lastly, I would like to reiterate the observation that for China some of our desired goals will take longer to achieve than others. As ever, there is a Chinese proverb that neatly encapsulates this very point, which is: "You won't help shoots grow by pulling them up higher".
I am very happy to note that overall Parliament and the Commission have reached similar conclusions on EU-China relations over the past three years and how they should develop in future. Despite several differences on some important issues, the EU and China have reached, in the last few years, a wide understanding on areas where the development of their relations is mutually beneficial. This has been amply demonstrated by the successful annual summits in 2000 and 2001, and, most recently, by Mr Patten's official visit to China which I will report on in the following remarks.
He was extremely well received, as a representative of the EU, wherever he went and had intensive meetings with President Jiang Zemin, the Deputy Prime Minister, Qian Qichen, five senior ministers and other policy makers. All of his interlocutors spoke frankly and openly about EU-China relations. Some strong messages he received during the visit were: a recognition of the increasing role of the EU in the world, an appreciation for the recent, rapid progress in EU-China relations; and a genuine will and commitment to continue the development of EU-China relations and cooperation at all levels.
During his visit, Mr Patten put across the messages that all EU Member States were committed to the EU's China policy, that not only had trade and investment cooperation been impressive, but also that very strong progress was being achieved in other bilateral and transnational areas of concern, for example immigration, the environment and science and technology. Dialogues on regional and international issues, such as the Korean peninsula, ASEM, Afghanistan, and international terrorism were proving to be increasingly beneficial to both sides.
Returning to the report, I note that it rightly picks out the importance of the events of 11 September and the launch of the fight against international terrorism, and China's entry into the WTO. These events will help define, to some extent, the parameters for EU-China relations in the international arena for the foreseeable future. More specifically, like Parliament, the Commission welcomes China's support in the international fight against terrorism and China’s undertaking to assist in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
The report congratulates China on its accession to the WTO and expresses support for China's continuing economic and social reforms. We agree with this. It took China 15 long years of arduous negotiations to join the WTO. China also came a long way in that period. From being a rather isolated, inward-looking, centrally planned economy with a slightly open door, it is about to remove – we hope – many of the remaining great barrier walls to free trade. It is therefore that it has joined the WTO, but we will now need to ensure that China fully adheres to its commitments.
We also welcome the fact that WTO accession will accelerate reform, but are conscious that the required reforms will bring with them serious challenges because of unemployment, urban drift and so on. We will do all we can to help to assist China during this delicate transition.
The human rights situation in China has, in some respects, improved in the last few years, notably in the field of social and economic rights. But we remain deeply concerned about the general human rights situation. We remain committed to the human rights dialogue. However, while we are conscious that the way ahead will be a long-term process, we nevertheless believe that improvements in political and civil rights are needed in China, also in the short-term. Chris Patten raised human rights issues in detail during his visit, particularly with Foreign Minister Tang.
The report draws the attention of the Chinese Government to the importance of respecting and protecting the religious and cultural heritage of Tibet, and the identity of the Tibetan people. Chairman Re Di, the leader of the delegation from the National People's Congress of the Tibetan Autonomous Region that visited Parliament last month – whom some of you met and also referred to today – gave assurances that the Chinese Government pays a lot of attention to the protection of minorities and to their religious freedoms. We attach great importance to these issues and were happy to note these assurances, but we will of course continue to be vigilant about Tibet and will continue to call for a direct dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama. Mr Patten also discussed these issues with Foreign Minister Tang and Vice-Premier Qian Qichen."@en1
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