A COMPACT BETWEEN CHINA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION Both the European Union and China are committed to giving the Sino-European relationship a genuinely strategic dimension. Since they announced this objective in 2004, there has been a blossoming of ‘strategic dialogues’, both bilateral and multilateral. These have ensured that broader strategic and geo-political issues are now on the agenda when China talks to the EU and to the leading member-states. The next step is to find ways of translating this dialogue into an expansion and deepening of co-operation at a practical level. This will involve efforts to advance a working partnership in areas where substantial scope for co-operation already exists, as well as further exploration and dialogue in areas where there are differences, or where the necessary groundwork still needs to be laid. The EU and China have important relationships with third parties, in particular the US, that need to be taken into account. But both sides, while being mindful of the interests and preferences of key allies, should ensure that this does not act as a brake on taking forward co-operation in areas where there is a clear value to all sides in the further development of Sino-European partnership. This short paper, written by researchers from think-tanks in China and from the EU, is designed to set out a concrete agenda for co-operation. By concentrating on some of the most important issues of concern on the global agenda – global and regional governance, development, energy and non-proliferation – it seeks to do three things: ★ Set out the outlines of a practical ‘action agenda’ for an EU-China strategic partnership. ★ Indicate some agreed principles that could lend themselves to a framework for future co-operation. ★ Suggest topics that should be addressed through the various EU-China dialogues, both at an official level and through a ‘second track’ process of unofficial dialogue.
Global governance ★ Europe and China have a common interest in promoting strong, effective multilateral institutions and in ensuring that their international partners support these institutions too. ★ Both sides are firmly committed to re f o rming existing institutions to allow them to maintain their relevance and efficiency in the context of changing global threats and shifts in the international power stru c t u re . ★ Both Europe and China have an interest in seeing a more prominent Chinese voice and presence in a range of different areas, from the UN reform debate to the promotion of Chinese diplomats to key posts in international bodies. One focal point for collaboration could be the new UN peace-building commission, where the involvement and expertise of both sides can help to determine its shape and direction. The European Union could also expand its support for the training of Chinese peacekeepers, and explore the development of a common approach to peacekeeping through shared academies.
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