Protectionism harmful

When Premier Wen Jiabao joins European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday for an annual summit, both China and the EU will have a good opportunity to shape the strategic partnership of mutual respect and mutual benefit the two have vowed to build. However, when blueprinting the future, they will also need to address the recent trade friction, so that bilateral trade can flourish on a healthier terrain.

Since its inauguration in 1998, the China-EU annual summit has proved its strategic importance. As a top-level architecture of dialogue and cooperation covering more than 60 fields, it has become a major platform for the two sides to discuss issues of common concern and forge practical cooperation.

The two sides are expected to sign a series of documents at the meeting in Brussels in fields such as science and technology, anti-monopoly and low carbon.