Explore untapped potential in EU-China ties

This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the European Union and China, established on May 6,1975. It is an important milestone in an ever more important relationship between our union of 28 European states and China.

We have come a very long way since 1975. At that time the EU was made up of just nine member states. China was only beginning to open up and had yet to undergo its economic miracle. Trade between our two sides was miniscule; now the EU is China's largest market and China is the EU's second-largest trade partner. This relationship has made us truly interdependent, in the sense that the success of one party is predicated on the success of the other.

We cooperate in more areas than ever before, including foreign policy, security and defense, and cyber security. We both have obvious shared interests in the peaceful resolution of global conflicts, climate change mitigation, sustainable development, food and energy security, nuclear non-proliferation and social justice. While we have our differences, notably on human rights, our partnership has become mature enough to allow frank discussion on these issues.