It’s been billed as a routine EU-China summit despite an ongoing row over alleged dumping. But it's the last before premier Wen Jiabao steps down and a power struggle ensues, so it may be more important in Beijing than in Brussels. Currently the Chinese leadership also want to see what the reaction from the outside is, so I think this would be a good moment for European leaders to send a message so that China's next generation of leaders can do something good for their people. EU-China trade was worth 424 billion euros in 2011, having doubled in eight years, even if the US is now China’s main export market. The latest row is over solar panels, which Europe accuses China of dumping at below cost on European markets. There's much misunderstanding, but on environmental matters the two are closer. We should re-orientate our efforts towards building consensus with China on these, because China feels the limits of the planet on climate, on resources etcetera. Maybe we can build common positions and use them as leverage on the global scene. China is wary of criticism: there was no press conference and human rights were not on the agenda, which is why protestors made more visible protests. Here, Tibetans demanded freedom and an end to persecution. The human rights issue is more important than trade because of human values. There is no freedom, no human rights freedom, no freedom of religion, so then what is the use of trade? But with China holding some 2.5 trillion euros in foreign currency reserves, cash-strapped Europe must be careful. In any case, confrontation with Beijing gets nowhere. If we want to influence the Chinese, we can’t do it through megaphone diplomacy. Saving face is a big part of their make-up. Two such enormous economic blocs have to trade, and Europe needs investment. But EU-China relations seem to be, like the Brussels’ EU quarter, a work in progress.
EuroparlTV video ID: ab11646f-49ec-4913-80ea-a0d2011a4031
