Op-Ed Contributors

Let's build on past successes and elevate ties to a higher level

By Yang Jiechi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-08 07:43

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

In the eyes of the Chinese, France is a country with a rich intellectual and cultural heritage, advanced economy and state-of-the-art science and technology. It is a country that carries considerable weight in Europe and the world. French scholars of international studies are full of new ideas and inspirational thoughts.

Last year, at a forum on China-EU relations, a European scholar raised a very important question: Can EU-China relations be lifted to a higher level through strategic innovation? I believe that given the evolution of China-EU relations in recent years, this question is on the mind of many Europeans, especially those who specialize in international relations. It is in essence a question about how one should view China's development and China-EU relations. Today, I would like to answer this question from China's perspective, and I hope my observations will be of some help to you.

Over the past 60 years since the founding of the People's Republic, and especially over the past 30 years since the reform and opening-up, we have found a development path suited to China's national conditions. Thanks to this path, China has gone through a sea change. Our economic and overall national strength has steadily increased, people's livelihood has markedly improved, and the country's international standing has risen rapidly. We are keenly aware, however, that China remains a developing country, and it lags behind more than 100 countries in per capita GDP. To achieve basic modernization, we have to work long and hard.

Last year, the world experienced the worst economic woes since the 1930s, and China encountered the greatest economic difficulties since the turn of the century. Yet China rose up to the challenge and scored notable achievements in countering the impact of the international financial crisis. Against the backdrop of a deep global recession, China's GDP grew by 8.7 percent and reached $4.9 trillion. The Chinese economy was among the first to recover and has given a strong boost to the global economic recovery. Over the last year, we have stepped up coordination with other countries on macroeconomic policies and taken an active part in the G20 summits. We have joined global efforts to tackle the crisis and advanced the reform of the international trading regime and financial system.

While working to maintain rapid and sustainable economic growth at home, China has reached out to the world in pursuit of mutual benefit. China is the world's second largest trading country. Two thirds of our imports are finished industrial products, coming mainly from developed countries. Nearly half of our exports are processed goods, produced mainly by foreign-funded enterprises. Through foreign trade and investment, China has pushed forward global economic growth, created more development and job opportunities for other countries and provided inexpensive yet high-quality products to global markets. It is worth mentioning that last year, the Chinese economy contributed over 50 percent to the global economic growth. This represented a significant contribution to the recovery of the world economy.

China cannot develop in isolation from the world and the world needs China for development. As a large and responsible country, China is a staunch force for world peace and common development, not a threat to any country or region. It is firmly committed to the path of peaceful development, the win-win strategy of opening-up, and the vision of building a harmonious world of enduring peace and common prosperity.

We just celebrated the 46th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties a few days ago. Forty-six years ago, Chairman Mao Zedong and General Charles de Gaulle made the historic decision to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries. That decision, which fully demonstrated the foresight of the two great statesmen, opened a new chapter in our bilateral ties. Since then, China-France relations have withstood international vicissitudes and made great strides thanks to our joint efforts.

Over the past 46 years, our political mutual trust and strategic cooperation have enjoyed steady growth. Even during the Cold War, our two countries worked together and overcame the divide caused by a bipolar structure. Entering the new era, we have built a comprehensive strategic partnership and worked side by side for a multi-polar world. The strategic importance of our relations has long gone beyond the bilateral scope, as they have continued to affect the adjustments and transformation of the international configuration and relations among major countries.

Over the past 46 years, our economic cooperation has borne bountiful fruits. Two-way trade has grown from $100 million a year to more than $100 million a day. We have conducted productive cooperation in nuclear power, aviation, transport and other areas.

Over the past 46 years, our cultural and people-to-people exchanges have become more and more dynamic. The number of mutual visits between our citizens has increased from 4,000 a year to 4,000 a day. The Cultural Year events and the exchange programs between our young people have attracted wide attention from Europe and beyond.

All these are clear indications of the unprecedented changes in China-France relations. They have brought tangible benefits to our two countries and peoples, and contributed greatly to world peace, stability and prosperity.

Last April, President Hu Jintao and President Nicolas Sarkozy had a meeting in London. Together, they charted the course for the sound and steady growth of our relations. At the end of last year, President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao held talks with Prime Minister Francois Fillon during his visit to China. The two sides had a wide-ranging and in-depth exchange of views on China-France ties and major international issues and reached consensus on a host of important issues. Facts have shown that our bond of converging interests is strengthening, not weakening, and the scope of our cooperation is widening, not narrowing.

This year will see closer exchanges at all levels. The Shanghai World Expo will provide us with a new platform to enhance business, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges. China-France relations now face new and important opportunities for development and our cooperation holds out even greater promise.

We want to work with the French to increase political mutual trust and accommodate each other's major concerns on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. We will work with France to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and intensify coordination and cooperation on major regional and international issues. Let us join hands and elevate China-France relations to a higher level.

Sixty years ago, the People's Republic of China was born. It was around the same time that Jean Monnet, a great Frenchman, made an epoch-making proposal for a coal and steel community in Europe. Twenty-five years later, China and the European Community, both growing over the years, officially established diplomatic ties. A new chapter was opened in China-Europe relations.

Now, several decades on, both China and the EU have grown into important forces with strategic significance in the world. As the biggest developing country and the biggest group of developed countries, China and the EU have forged an all-dimensional, wide-ranging and multi-tiered framework of cooperation, and established a comprehensive strategic partnership. We have put in place an annual summit mechanism and 17 political consultation mechanisms. And we have launched negotiations on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Bilateral trade between China and the EU has seen a 176-fold increase in 35 years, making the EU China's largest trading partner and China the EU's second largest trading partner. Nearly 27,000 European companies have invested in China, and over 150,000 Europeans are working in China. On our part, nearly 200,000 Chinese students are studying in EU countries, and each year, over 1 million Chinese tourists travel to Europe.

The tremendous progress in China-EU relations over the past 35 years fully expresses the broad and profound common interests between us. It also shows that our respective development has given strong impetus to our relations. China and the EU members have kept China-EU relations on the track of steady and sound growth, broadened the strategic dimension of our relations, and contributed our share to world peace, stability and prosperity.

The two sides should treat each other on equal basis and with mutual respect. China has given consistent support to EU's development. We welcome a bigger and constructive role of the EU in international affairs, and we hope to see greater progress in EU's integration process. Likewise, we hope the EU, as our comprehensive strategic partner, will respect China's history and cultural tradition, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the right of the Chinese people to independently choose their social system and development path. We also hope the EU will support the Chinese people's endeavor for the complete reunification of the country.

The two sides should step up practical cooperation and reject trade protectionism. China is in the process of rapid industrialization and urbanization, which promises a vast market and good development prospects. The EU, for its part, boasts advanced technologies and managerial expertise and high-end industries. This means our economies are cut out for each other and our practical cooperation enjoys vast potential.

Last year, China sent several trade promotion missions to France and other European countries in an effort to stabilize and expand China-EU business ties. Our two sides need to strengthen coordination on macroeconomic policies, press ahead with trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, provide better market access to each other, reinforce high-tech exchanges and IPR protection, and handle trade frictions properly. China will increase imports from Europe and encourage Chinese companies to make investments in Europe. We are ready to work with the EU to bring about an early comprehensive and balanced conclusion to the WTO Doha Round, and bring into full play the role of the G20 as a platform for global economic governance. I am confident that together, we can contribute a lot to the global effort to move the world economy out of the crisis and achieve balanced, coordinated and sustainable development.

The two sides need to deepen consultation and coordination and work together to tackle global challenges. The world today is undergoing profound transformation and adjustment. Global problems such as climate change, and security in energy, resources, food and public health security are getting increasingly acute. Terrorism and other non-traditional security threats have yet to be removed. And some long-standing hotspot and regional issues remain unresolved. No country can stay immune from these challenges or deal with them on its own, and China believes that international affairs should be managed by the whole international community, not by one or a few countries.

Let me in this connection touch upon an issue of international concern, namely climate change. China takes climate change seriously. We worked very hard for the success of the Copenhagen conference, especially the Copenhagen Accord. Prior to the Copenhagen conference, China announced its targets for curbing greenhouse gas emissions. During the conference, we took part in the negotiations in an active and responsible manner and maintained close consultation and coordination with all other parties. While upholding principles, we displayed maximum flexibility. We did our utmost to help the conference achieve important and positive outcomes. As you know, on Jan 29, Premier Wen Jiabao wrote separately to the UN secretary-general and the Danish prime minister to state in clear-out terms China's support to the Copenhagen Accord and China's principled position on the upcoming negotiations. A day earlier, on Jan 28, China informed the UNFCCC Secretariat of the mitigation commitments that China had made last year. This important move speaks volume of China's sincerity, resolve and confidence in joining the international community's response to climate change.

In the upcoming negotiations on climate change, it is important that China and the EU increase consultation and cooperation. We should follow the guidance of the Copenhagen Accord and the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" to seek an early conclusion to the Bali Roadmap talks, and promote the full, effective and sustained implementation of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol in order to make the upcoming Mexico conference a success. Finally, I want to stress that there are broad prospects for exchanges and cooperation between China and the EU in the development and application of wind, solar and other energy-saving and environment-friendly technologies.

The year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar is just around the corner. In the Chinese tradition, the tiger is a symbol of courage and vigor. I do hope that in the new year, China and France as well as China and the EU will take a long-term perspective and seize opportunities to strengthen cooperation and further promote the all-round growth of our relations. I also hope that France, as an important EU member, will continue to play an active role in the EU to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU so that this partnership will grow more robust in the Year of the Tiger.

The author is the minister of Foreign Affairs. This is an excerpt of his speech at the French Institute of International Relations on Feb 4.

(China Daily 02/08/2010 page8)