New EU, China pact looks beyond
trade By Duncan Freeman
BRUSSELS - The European Union and China
have a thriving relationship that has expanded
enormously in recent years. The signing of a
"strategic partnership" agreement between the EU
and China three years ago symbolized the strength
of the relationship, but in many ways posed more
questions than it answered. It is far from clear
that the relationship has been either strategic or
a partnership.
Despite the unanswered
questions, how the relationship is defined by
Beijing and Brussels has little to do with its
substance, which
has
continued to be strengthened across many areas. To
the companies that drive trade and investment, and
even to EU and member-state officials who take
part in summits and policy dialogues, or experts
who work on the many EU-funded aid projects in
China, whether they are part of a strategic
partnership or not has little importance.
Nevertheless, Brussels still feels the
need to draw together the strands of its policy on
China into a coherent whole that responds to the
rapidly changing Chinese reality and its impact on
the world. The need for a clear formulation of
policy is also stimulated by the fact that the EU
and China are embarking on the negotiation of a
new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which
will provide the legal framework for their
relationship and will replace their original Trade
and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1985.
The change in title of the proposed new
agreement, like the strategic partnership,
indicates that both sides now see their
relationship as being much broader than simply
trading. This certainly reflects the reality that
aside from trade and investment, official contacts
and policy dialogues, educational exchanges and
tourism are all growing rapidly. Hence the
European Commission (EC, the executive body of the
European Union) has issued two documents that
attempt to define the EU's relationship with China
and set out the foundations on which policy toward
China will be conducted.
The new
documents, the first of which deals with the
overall relationship with China, while the second
covers trade and investment, are certainly not
encumbered with much detail, but they nevertheless
indicate the thinking that will inform the
direction of policy adopted in Brussels. Even if
there is little new in policy detail that emerges
from the documents, they indicate that there may
be some shifts in emphasis in the way the EU
approaches China.
From the point of view
of Europe, China is increasingly seen as much more
than a narrow policy problem defined by purely
bilateral issues. Over the past few years the
bureaucrats in Brussels have woken up to the fact
that China's rise raises questions on a regional
and even global scale. This demands a new approach
to China. The direction that the EU would like to
see its relationship with China move in is
indicated by the title of the overview of the
relationship: "EU-China: Closer Partners, Growing
Responsibilities". The basic premise is that the
two sides should move toward a closer partnership
to deal with the growing number of problems that
place an increasing weight of responsibility on
both Europe and China.
The EU is
apparently willing to pursue the idea of the
strategic partnership. But as that strategic
partnership develops, acceptance of mutual
responsibilities must also increase. This means
that the partnership should meet both sides'
interests, but also that the EU and China must
work together to provide solutions to global
problems. The EC argues that Europe and China can
do more to promote their own interests together
than they will achieve apart. However, the message
for China is that it must accept an increasing
burden of responsibility as an international actor
commensurate with its growing stature.
Of
course, no matter how much China and the EU may
wish to construct a partnership, there will be
conflicts in their relationship. These have been
seen often enough, on everything from trade issues
to the EU embargo on arms sales to China. But in
the assessment of the EC, these differences are
being managed effectively within relations that
are increasingly "mature and realistic". It is
certainly true that the differences on tough
issues, such as trade disputes over textiles and
footwear, have not been allowed to undermine the
positive mood of the overall relationship.
The EU wants to make clear that the closer
partnership should be about more than simply
successful management of disputes. While on one
level relations may be realistic, the EU is at
pains to present a policy that is not simply
realist. Despite its emphasis on partnership, the
EC goes out of its way to emphasize that this does
not simply mean accepting China as is. There is an
explicit argument that EU policy toward China
should be based on values. The EU should therefore
continue to support China's internal political and
economic reform process, "for a strong and stable
China which fully respects fundamental rights and
freedoms, protects minorities and guarantees the
rule of law".
One of the key proposed
elements of the policy is support for China's
transition toward a more open and plural society.
Noting that China's leadership has repeatedly
stated its support for reform, including basic
rights and freedoms, the EC concedes that progress
has been limited. Therefore, the EU must consider
how it can most effectively assist China's reform
process, and make the case that better protection
of human rights, a more open society and more
accountable government would be beneficial to
China, and essential to continued economic growth.
According to the EC, democracy, human rights and
the promotion of common values are fundamental
tenets of EU policy and of central importance to
bilateral relations.
Another major area of
concern is sustainable development, which is
increasingly becoming the focus of policy
attention in Europe. China will be central to
ensuring that global development is sustainable.
The EC identifies several areas that are of
concern in relation to China - ensuring secure and
sustainable energy supplies, combating climate
change and improving the environment - and
proposes seeking joint solutions.
Duncan Freeman is a writer and
consultant based in Brussels. He can be contacted
at duncanfreeman@skynet.be.
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2006 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.
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