Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-09-Speech-3-261"
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"en.20080709.31.3-261"2
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"Mr President, I am convinced that strategic EU-China relations are vital for the European Union, and I believe they are for China too, as well as for the rest of the world.
The situation in Tibet will continue to focus attention during these months. Today we can say that we are back to a pre-14 March situation, because the talks between the Chinese Government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama resumed in early May and a new round of talks took place last week; but I agree that we do not yet have a full assessment. We will continue to encourage both sides to continue their talks in a fruitful and result-oriented way.
Last month, on 24 June, China also took a positive step by reopening access for foreign tourists to Tibet. Although controlled visits by diplomats and foreign journalists have been taking place since March, we continue to urge them for full access for foreign journalists.
With regard to the Olympic Games, we all hope that there will be a chance for China and the world to come closer together. We wish China success in this.
The ASEM Summit in October, in which I will participate, will be a good opportunity to underline our relations with China and, in doing this, to bring forward important global issues.
In conclusion, I hope that, at our next EU-China summit in particular, we can make concrete progress on a number of issues of mutual importance, such as climate change, ongoing negotiations to conclude an EU-China partnership and cooperation agreement, human rights, and economic and trade issues. Those are our goals between now and 1 December. I think it is vital that the EU-China strategic partnership continues to be developed in a steady way, one which also takes into consideration the concerns that exist.
Looking back, this spring has been a test for EU-China relations. The unrest in Tibet led to widespread protests in Europe and to the disruption of the Olympic Torch relay in several European capitals. The latter events in turn led to a surge of nationalist feeling in China and to anti-Europe feelings, which translated into boycott campaigns against European interests in China. As a result, concern was rising about the widening gap between Chinese and European public opinions and perceptions of each other.
These developments were, fortunately, rather short-lived. Two events were instrumental in reversing the emerging trend. One was the Commission visit to Beijing on 24-26 April, in which I participated with President Barroso. The other was the consequence of the terrible earthquake which affected the province of Sichuan in May.
Let me take each of those in turn. First, our visit at the end of April focused on sustainable development and climate change but also provided an opportunity to raise EU concerns about the situation in Tibet directly with the Chinese leadership. You will remember that, when I spoke in this House on 26 March, I called for a restart of talks between the representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government. During the talks in April, President Hu Jintao announced to us that China would shortly resume talks with the representatives of the Dalai Lama. This had been a key request of the European Union.
This outcome of our visit to Beijing proved that the Commission’s consistent approach of constructive engagement with China brought tangible results and was thus the right approach.
The other event that marked a turning point in China’s relations with the rest of the world was, as has already been said by the President-in-Office of the Council, the earthquake in Sichuan. The scale of the human catastrophe provoked by the earthquake and the suffering of the people were enormous: 70 000 persons were reported killed and up to 10 million were displaced.
This gave rise to an outpouring of international sympathy and support for the victims. More importantly, the Chinese Government reacted in a swift and well-coordinated way on the earthquake, deploying over 130 000 soldiers for the rescue and allowing the press free access to the affected areas. This reaction cast a more positive light on modern China.
The President-in-Office of the Council has already mentioned what we as the European Union as a whole have been donating, and therefore I do not need to say anything about it. Let me immediately go to the situation as it is today.
Three events between now and the end of the year will have a crucial impact on EU-China relations from the Chinese point of view, and I think it is the same for us: the Beijing Olympics, the ASEM summit which will take place in Beijing on 24-25 October, and the EU-China Summit due to take place on 1 December in France. During this time the Chinese leadership will be particularly sensitive to messages coming from abroad. Now, more than ever, we need to avoid any misunderstandings and continue our policy of constructive engagement."@en1
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