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Trade, climate top agenda for China and EU

By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-03 09:16

Visiting Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt urged the European Union (EU) and China to jointly combat protectionism and global warming - pressing issues when Stockholm takes the six-month EU presidency from July.

Speaking at China Foreign Affairs University, Bildt said his home country is "in a critical position" to take the EU's helm during a "critical period".

"The worst that could happen now is for politicians in different countries to give in to populist pressure to prompt protectionist policies," he said.

Bildt said China and the EU should "speak up against protectionist intention" in "all sorts of international forums", citing the prospective G20 summit, scheduled for April in London, as an example. Business opportunities are increasing between China and the EU.

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A 300-member Chinese procurement delegation had undertaken a five-day tour to several EU countries last week, making more than US$13 billion worth of purchases, mostly of machinery, hi-tech equipment, vehicles and energy-saving technologies.

In addition, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said yesterday that Beijing would soon dispatch another small delegation to the UK to explore mutual investment opportunities.

"Openness in trade and investment are a catalyst to reviving economic growth," Bildt told the audience.

The EU is China's top trading partner and trade volume between the two sides surpassed US$400 billion last year, up about 19 percent over 2007, Chinese Customs figures showed.

China is the EU's second-largest trading partner - after the United States - and the biggest source of EU imports.

In addition to addressing the financial crisis, Bildt said his three-day Beijing trip would also establish a "strategic dialogue" with China on fighting global warming before the climate change conference starts in December in Denmark.

"Our intense efforts to stabilize the economy this year should go hand-in-hand with our intense diplomacy to address climate change issues," he said, adding the dialogue might also include other emerging economies such as India.

"We are looking to see the countries share different responsibilities at their respective capabilities on the climate change issue," he said.