| China, EU back liberal trade policies: Wen |
BRUSSELS Both China and the European Union reject trade protectionism, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Thursday after a summit meeting with EU leaders.
“We both (China and the European Union) follow free and open economic and trade policies, reject trade protectionism and work to advance economic globalisation,” Wen told a business conference on the sidelines of the summit.
He also said he believed Europe was able to overcome its debt crisis, and that China continued to invest in European government debt.
“Europe is on the right track in tackling its debt issue, and what is crucial now is to fully implement all the policy measures,” Wen said.
Earlier in the day, Wen met European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, which represents national governments.
The leaders were meeting against a background of growing trade disputes between China and the European Union.
China had struck a sour note at the start of the summit, raising longstanding complaints over its treatment by the bloc even as both sides lauded the relationship.
Wen, in opening remarks, gave a lengthy list of achievements over the past 10 years, stressing: “We do not have major conflicts of interest.”
But there was a sting in the tail when he used forceful diplomatic language to raise the issue of an EU arms embargo, imposed since the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, and the EU’s refusal to treat China as a fully-fledged market economy and so lift all tariffs on Chinese goods.
“I have to be very frank in saying this ... but the solution has been elusive over the past 10 years. I deeply regret this and I hope the EU side will take greater initiative to solve these issues,” Wen added.
EU sources had said on Wednesday ahead of the annual summit that “we have agreed to disagree” with the Chinese on the arms embargo.
The issue continues to divide EU member states and Britain notably has refused to bend to pressure from France and Spain to review the embargo.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is also meeting Wen, triggered fresh debate over the issue by saying in a report last year that the embargo was “a major impediment” to developing EU-China ties. China will not get full market status until 2016 after accepting a 15-year transition period when it joined the World Trade Organisation.
Agencies
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