José Manuel Durão Barroso
President of the European Commission
Peoples of yesterday, peoples of tomorrow: 35 years of EU/China relations
President Gu Binglin,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It's a great pleasure for me to be at
Tsinghua symbolises
As you gear up to celebrate your 100th anniversary, you can take pride in being at the cutting edge of
The European Union is happy to be associated with
My visit to
First, because this very night President Hu Jintao, a Tsinghua alumnus, will inaugurate the 2010 World Expo in
Chinese people are rightly proud of hosting this event because it symbolises inter-cultural understanding, which I think will be a defining feature of the 21st century. So it is only natural that we should participate with you in this global event, to showcase the achievements of European integration.
The second reason why this visit is a timely one is because 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the European Union and
The European Union has undergone remarkable changes since then. At that time, in 1975, the
During the last 35 years, the European Union has been a reliable partner. Our trade and economic cooperation has been an important contribution to
So our partnership has been a stimulus for progress and a source of economic opportunities. These benefits are a result of good relations between leaders of course, and channelled through institutional mechanisms like our annual Summits and other dialogues.
I hope that, in the next 35 years, Europe and
A fundamental task is precisely to broaden and deepen cultural understanding by fostering people-to-people exchanges. For the success of our engagement depends on understanding - on holding an open dialogue, and learning about each other and from each another.
Transparency is essential for communication and mutual understanding.. We in
Aside from mutual understanding and respect, another key principle of our relationship should be complimentarily. What do I mean by this?
Our economies complement each other.
More generally, our overall strategic economic objectives overlap: our Europe 2020 strategy and your 12th Five Year Plan focus overwhelmingly on green growth and social justice.
I was pleased to hear that Premier Wen will increase efforts to attract foreign investment in
But
Europeans also believe that equity and justice form the basis of social stability. That is why we developed welfare systems, which shelter citizens’ lives from market risks.
We are happy to share our experience and expertise in this field with
This sort of mutual support is the essence of reciprocity, a fundamental tenet in European and Chinese ethics alike, which should be the third key principle of EU/China relations, alongside mutual understanding and complementarity.
Beyond our bilateral cooperation, the European Union and
Events over the last year have shown the urgent need for both sides to improve understanding and cooperation on critical global issues. A world that faces many threats and challenges needs both Europe and
As the worst crisis since the Great Depression hit our economies in 2008, the EU has stood by its G20 pledge to keep its markets open. The EU remains an open economy. We are the world’s largest importer and exporter, as well as the largest source and destination of foreign investment.
But the crisis has given rise to wider protectionist pressures in the global economy. As two of the world's largest economies, the European Union and
In addition, we have a shared interest in tackling the twin challenges of energy security and climate change.
Both Europe and
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that we must do something about emissions of greenhouse gases. If we continue with business as usual, they say, we will face a rise in global temperatures that could have a disastrous impact on our planet, beyond that we are already facing.
To avoid that, we must move our economies away from their reliance on fossil fuels. That shift is not only good for the environment, but is also sensible from an economic point of view, and will help us to improve the long-term security of our energy supplies.
It is clear to me that we can regulate greenhouse gas emissions without slowing down our economies.
Our experience in
Apart from pioneering the low carbon economy at home,
Finally Europe and
We are each other's strategic partners. As
We have examples of good cooperation in new areas like maritime surveillance. And we can expand our cooperation even further, by looking at the broader relationship. We can make a particular contribution, for instance, by addressing regional nuclear proliferation crises.
The demand for
We have much to gain in increasing our cooperation on global security issues. Ultimately, I am confident in
No doubt
In all of this
In closing, let me quote from a speech Sir Christopher Soames, a former Commission Vice-President, gave to the European Parliament on the outcome of his visit to
"There is one point, and a particularly important one, over which I found myself in complete agreement with my Chinese hosts. This was over the future of the Community. They consider it in the interests of everyone that
The Commission's view… is that China and the European Community have much to gain from the closer and more confident relationship which now opens before us: both of us a people of yesterday, a people of tomorrow".
Let's make sure that we continue to gain from a closer and more confident relationship for another 35 years!
Thank you.