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Change Your Life! |
Chinese premier’s first-ever visit to EU |
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July 11, 2000
BRUSSELS
(AP) - Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji was starting the most important
part of his 15-day European tour Monday by making a first-time visit for a
Chinese leader to the capital of the European Union.
The Chinese premier, along with a high-level delegation including the Chinese foreign minister, the governor of the People's Bank of China and top business leaders, arrived in Belgium on Sunday to open four days of talks with EU officials. Zhu, keen on forging stronger links with all 15 EU nations, also has scheduled talks with Belgian government leaders, including a visit with King Albert and Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. "For the EU, Prime Minister Zhu's visit marks another major step forward in broadening the EU-China partnership," the EU's executive commission said in a statement. The Chinese prime minister is to meet with EU Commission President Romano Prodi on Tuesday. Zhu's trip to the EU head office in Brussels marks a first for a Chinese leader, and also marks 25 years of EU-China relations.
Trade between the EU and China has steadily increased since 1978, totaling euro 54 billion in 1998. The EU has become China's second largest export market, and China has become the European Union's third largest trading partner after the United States and Japan. China and the European Union signed an agreement in Beijing in May on China's entry into the World Trade Organization, which sets rules for global trade. China is moving toward joining the group next year, after reaching a similar agreement with Washington late last year.
Despite the WTO agreement, the EU Commission still says that China's markets are not open enough and is keen to see speedier market-based reforms there. The
EU already has pledged some euro 60 million in cooperation agreements
aimed at reforms in many Chinese sectors, including transportation, high
technology, energy, financial services and telecommunications. Human rights remain a prickly issue. Despite a 1996 "dialogue on human rights," progress has been slow in initiating political reforms in China, promoting civil rights, and the rule of law EU officials said. Former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, now the EU Commission's external relations commissioner, will likely bring up several cases of continuing rights abuses during his meeting with Tang. Human smuggling, another increasingly important topic for the Europeans, also will be raised. Earlier on his six-nation European tour, Zhu has called for greater cooperation with the EU in the fight against illegal immigration and smuggling. Last month 58 Chinese illegal immigrants were found dead in the back of a freight truck in the English port of Dover. The discovery caused outrage across Europe and led to the arrests of several alleged members of a smuggling ring located in the Netherlands, where the truck originated. The
Chinese prime minister visited Bulgaria, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy
and the Netherlands before coming to Belgium.
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