'Tremendous opportunities' for China-Europe ties

BRUSSELS - European scholars hope that Sino-European relations could enter into "a serious and active period of re-engagement" between 2011 and 2015, as China implements its 12th Five-Year Plan.

"The implementation of the 12th Five-Year Plan has opened tremendous opportunities to renew the relationship between Beijing and Brussels," Shada Islam, a senior fellow with Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe, told China Daily.

However, she said whether the potential will be maximized depends largely on how leaders on both sides adjust their expectations, which are currently "mismatched".