China: China And The European Union Begin A One-Day Summit

Record ID: 4235

  • Title: China: China And The European Union Begin A One-Day Summit
  • Date: 23rd October 2000
  • Summary: Top EU leaders gathered in the Chinese capital for the summit, which began on October 23 have said the remaining barriers to China's WTO entry are few, but its accession might be delayed until next year. French President Jacques Chirac, who is President of the European Council, voiced hopes that the EU and China would smooth out their problems and praised the latter's achievements. "China overall has been the fastest growing economy in the world. In the last 20 years, its achievements have been very impressive. With one quarter of the population of the globe, what great potential there is here," he said. EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, who headed the EU team in tough bilateral negotiations with China concluded in May, has said an agreement may not be possible by the end of the year. China's 14-year bid to join the trade body stalled in September after the latest round of multilateral talks made little progress. EU officials have said problems included retail and distribution and China's failure to award insurance licences to more European firms prior to entry. The trade issues look likely to dominate the summit, in which Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will hold talks with French President Jacques Chirac -- whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency -- and European Commission President Romano Prodi. The European Union will seek details of how Beijing aims to stem the flow of illegal immigrants from China and discuss the possibility of European countries sending back those people caught. Following the deaths in June of 58 Chinese seeking to enter Britain illegally in the back of a truck, Prodi and Zhu pledged to work to staunch the flow of illegal immigrants from China. European leaders would also try to keep the dialogue on human rights moving, though discussions have made little progress in the past, prompting a review of the process. The EU wants China to ratify two UN conventions it signed in 1997 and 1998 on economic, social and cultural rights and on civil and political rights. Diplomats in Beijing say the economic and social pact might be ratified early next year, but that China's enactment of the more sensitive political treaty is probably years away.
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  • Location: CHINA PEKING BEIJING
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012E0G7XB
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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