The 2005 EU-China Summit:  What Transpired?

by Sophia Barkat




The eighth China-EU Summit was held in Beijing on 5 September 2005.  Premier Wen Jiabao 
of the State Council of China attended the meeting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China. 
The EU delegation was headed by the President of the European Council, Prime Minister Tony 
Blair of the UK, President of the European Commission, Mr. José Manuel Barroso, and 
Secretary General of the Council of the EU and High Representative for the EU Common 
Foreign and Security Policy, Mr. Javier Solana.  "Leaders of the two sides reviewed the 
development of China-EU relations and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of 
diplomatic relations," according to a joint September 5, 2005 press release. (See link)


With China as the largest nation in the world, a major producer and fastest growing nation, 
and the EU as a leading trading block, the summit is worth noting. 




Trade, Wars & Weapons


A leading matter in all the talks was, of course, trade. Namely on the agenda was EU’s 
double digit trade deficit with China.  While cheaper Chinese products andintermediate 
goods flood the EU markets, many EU’s are not allowed inside China and nor can they 
compete.  As a result, the EU had a trade deficit with China over €78 billion deficit, as of 
2004, according to EU External Relations.  And in retaliation to China’s protectionism, the 
EU had placed a ban on the importation of China’s weapons, a matter that the Chinese 
delegation brought up during the 2005 Summit. 


But after the recently concluded summit a lifting of the ban in the near-term seems possible. 
"The Chinese side was of the view that lifting the arms embargo would be conducive to the 
sound development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and urged the EU 
to lift the arms embargo at an early date. The EU side reaffirmed its willingness to continue 
to work towards lifting the embargo on the basis of the Joint Statement of the 2004 EU-China 
Summit and the subsequent European Council Conclusions on this subject," the press-release 
stated.


The two sides, also, feigned a commitment to fields of non-proliferation and disarmament. While 
China has not signed the Landmines Ban Treaty, and the Small Arms Ban Treaty, and the EU 
has, EU and China has signed bilateral treaties to strengthen economic and political cooperation. 
China’s inclusion into the WTO is largely due to the EU’s lobbying. In this summit, they also 
agreed to hold regular government-level meetings of foreign ministers to coordinate foreign policy 
issues.



Treaties to protect the Climate 

China and EU signed it’s own treaty to promote clean energy. "This partnership will fully 
complement the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. It will 
strengthen cooperation and dialogue on climate change including clean energy, and will promote 
sustainable development. It will include cooperation on the development, deployment and transfer 
of low carbon technology, including advanced near-zero-emissions coal technology through carbon 
capture and storage," stated the two.



EU Lends money to China

China, itself an industrialized nation and donor to many a poor nation, was surprisingly awarded 
a 500 million Euro loan from the European Investment Bank for the extension of Beijing airport, 
at the summit. 




Human Rights not important?


According to the EU External Relations website: "Concern about human rights has been a 
major theme of EU-China relations since the Tian’anmen Square crackdown in 1989", 
though they did not meet the agenda. sThe question of Tibet and Taiwan are not that important 
either, as China’s official policy paper on EU-China relations stresses for "one-China" and a 
peaceful transfer of Taiwan territories to mainland China (http://www.fmprc.gov.cn).  


At the summit, not surprisingly, the EU delegation reaffirmed its "continued adherence to the 
one China policy and expressed its hope for a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question 
through constructive dialogue. The Chinese side appreciated EU’s commitment to the one 
China policy and reiterated its principled position on the Taiwan question," according to the 
joint press-release.


The two sides, however, did raise Human Rights issues. "EU welcomed China’s commitment 
to ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as soon as possible. 
Both sides confirmed their commitment to co-operate with UN human rights mechanisms and 
their respect for international human rights standards provided for in relevant international human 
rights instruments, including the rights of minorities. In respect of the global fight against genocide, 
war crimes and crimes against humanity, they also noted the importance of the International 
Criminal Court," reported the joint-statement.


Human Rights Watch, which had written the EU to pressure China on human rights issues, 
noted that more concrete changes were necessary as far as Tianenman Square, Taiwan, Tibet, 
the rights of those affected by HIV/AIDS, and of political and other prisoners.  (See http://hrw.org). 
As religious freedom is at the heart of the question on Tibet, and political freedom at the heart of 
the question of Taiwan, one wonders if HRW and other human rights organizations can find the 
summit successful.

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