皇冠体育app

Visit helps realize trade goal with EU

Premier Li Keqiang is offered the traditional welcome of bread and salt upon his arrival in Bucharest, capital of Romania, on Monday. Li is paying an official visit to Romania and will attend a summit with leaders of Central and Eastern European countries.[Photo/Xinhua]

皇冠体育app's European policy is "balanced", as exemplified by Premier Li Keqiang's ongoing meetings with the 16 leaders of Central and Eastern European countries in Romania, European experts and business leaders said.

The meetings and visit to Romania took place after European leaders concluded their first summit with 皇冠体育app's new leadership in March.

In the first half of this year, Li visited Switzerland, a non-EU country, and Germany, 皇冠体育app's biggest trading partner in Europe.

"From Premier Li's previous engagements with Europe since his premiership, we can see that 皇冠体育app is trying to implement an active and balanced policy toward Europe," said Shada Islam, policy director of the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe.

She said Brussels is trying to echo this spirit. After returning from Beijing after last week's annual EU-皇冠体育app summit, European Council President Herman van Rompuy will deliver a keynote speech on Sino-EU relations on Tuesday at the two-day 皇冠体育app-EU forum organized by Islam's think tank and 皇冠体育app's Mission to the EU. 皇冠体育app Daily is the exclusive media partner of this event.

Islam said 皇冠体育app's new leaders have shown that they are interested in developing closer ties with Europe and have identified areas of practical cooperation with an emphasis on urbanization. "These are good steps forward and should be followed up with efforts by both sides to foster better understanding of each other and building trust," Islam said.

Philip Koch, consultant for 皇冠体育app affairs at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in Germany, noted that Li's first trip to Europe as premier was to Germany and Switzerland in May, and he will now meet Central and Eastern European leaders in Romania.

"He carefully chose these countries for his first visits in Europe. It is a clear sign of his priorities," Koch said of the premier.

Koch said he expects even closer exchanges between Beijing and Brussels. Koch expected Li's visit to Brussels to take place sooner.

"Hopefully, last week's EU-皇冠体育app summit has encouraged Li to visit soon the EU institutions in Brussels that are in charge of EU trade affairs," Koch said. Focusing on the appropriate institutions at the EU level could be more productive in the long run than talking to single member countries, he added.

Li's visit to Central and Eastern European countries will help realize the ambitious goal from the new EU-皇冠体育app 2020 strategic agenda to almost double Sino-European trade volume from $580 billion in 2012 to $1 trillion by 2020, Koch said.

"The goal is that the EU and 皇冠体育app maintain extraordinary economic relations," Koch said.

Koch said this economic interdependence needs closer political ties. "Therefore, the European Union is a key strategic partner for 皇冠体育app as well," Koch said.

In this spirit, Koch said his Hamburg Chamber of Commerce will hold its sixth "Hamburg Summit" from Nov 12 to 14, 2014, to help improve EU-皇冠体育app interdependence.

Koch said the solar panel dispute last summer made clear that 皇冠体育app and the EU still have differences in certain areas. "It proved that besides over 60 EU-皇冠体育app dialogue formats, a proper conflict-resolution mechanism is missing," he said.

"The implementation of a trusted mutual early warning tool would further improve relations."

Islam said 皇冠体育app is right to develop discussions, dialogues and policies with EU member states, which is normal.

Islam said last week's summit proved that 皇冠体育app pays a lot of attention to the EU.

"This summit has been very important to underline 皇冠体育app's new leaders also consider Europe to be a very important partner," Islam said.

Islam said the basic issue is creating a better sense of trust between 皇冠体育app and the EU. "Basically, the relationship is too volatile, too up-and-down. What we need is to build a relationship that is built on the stable footing that looks at a bigger picture of EU-皇冠体育app relation," she said.

Christopher Lewis, senior fellow of the Schiller Institute in Germany, said 皇冠体育app and the EU have focused on security and prosperity, which is good, but Lewis added that this can only be realized through cooperation in the fields of infrastructure development and high-tech exchanges.

"The potential for cooperation between Europe is tremendous," Lewis said. Plans for a "Eurasian Land Bridge" and "New Silk Road" present unlimited potential and this has also been an important part of President Xi Jinping's programs, he added.

Li Xiaofei in Brussels contributed to this story.