|
|
CHINA-EU: Summit Redefines Diplomatic Boundaries
By Antoaneta Bezlova
BEIJING, May 22 (IPS) - The global economic crisis has helped China and the European Union mend their
recent rift over Tibet and human rights, but the two sides remain distrustful of
each other’s intentions. Beijing complains that the EU’s crowded agenda makes
it lose sight of the bigger picture in dealing with China. Brussels for its part,
believes China is exploiting the EU’s divisions and treating the 27-state bloc
with ‘diplomatic contempt’ on a range of issues from trade to the Dalai Lama.
A meeting between the exiled spiritual Tibetan leader and French President
Nicolas Sarkozy last fall - when France held the EU’s rotating presidency -
angered Beijing and led to the cancelation of the EU-China summit in
December.
The summit finally took place this week after Beijing warned the European
bloc not to interfere in its internal affairs and emphasised the importance of
China’s economy in the world’s recovery from the worst economic downturn
in nearly 80 years.
"It is impossible for a couple of countries or group of big powers to resolve all
global issues," Premier Wen Jiabao said at the summit hosted by the Czech EU
Presidency at Prague Castle.
"We both recognise that it is important for us to work together to ride out the
storm and make our contribution to an early world economic recovery." He
also said the two sides must have "mutual respect" and "should not interfere
in each other’s internal affairs."
The summit produced pledges for increased economic cooperation and
agreements to boost trade. Beijing announced it would be sending another
purchasing mission to Europe - following in the footsteps of a delegation
that visited the EU a few months ago and signed 15 billion dollars worth of
deals.
Even in the middle of the financial crisis, China’s economy is growing so fast
that it now dwarfs those of many individual EU member states. In 2006,
growth in exports from China to the EU outpaced those to the U.S.,
highlighting China’s shift in focus to Europe as its primary export destination.
In 2008, exports from the EU’s 27 member states rose to 106.3 billion dollars
compared to 35 billion dollars in 2000, while its imports from China rose
from 102 billion dollars to 337 billion over the same period.
Although trade topped the summit’s agenda, rising temperatures between
China and the EU were on display as well. Beijing and Brussels have been at
odds over Europe’s vocal disapproval of China’s handling of Tibet, human
rights, and the communist country’s polices in Burma and Sudan’s Darfur
region.
"None of the current global challenges that the world faces can be dealt with
without cooperation between the EU and China. But at the same time the EU
cannot keep silent to the violation of human rights in China," Katerina
Jacques, Czech MP from the Greens party told Czech media.
Brussels’ efforts to get Beijing to live up to its responsibility as a key
stakeholder in the global community by agreeing to play a bigger political
role have yielded few results thus far.
There was little indication whether China would exercise its influence with the
military junta in Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition,
who is charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest and now faces the
prospect of five years in prison.
"I’d like to point out that internal affairs of Myanmar should be left to its own
people to decide," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said at a regular
press briefing this week ahead of the summit - referring to the official name
of the country. "As a neighbour of Myanmar, we hope relevant parties in
Myanmar could realise reconciliation, stability and development through
dialogue."
In the month preceding the summit, the European Council on Foreign
Relations released a report on EU-China relations, warning that China was
gaining the upper hand in the relationship, with Europe struggling to be
heard on many high visibility issues.
Even though China is the EU’s second largest trading partner, the authors
argued, EU policy still has roots in a time when China was a developing
country rather than a diplomatic competitor. The report argued that following
the failure of the EU to put united demands to China at the G20 meetings, it is
essential that the EU strike tougher bargains with Beijing and use the leverage
at its disposal, or it risks being outmanoeuvred.
"China knows its strength and no longer bothers to hide it," the report titled
‘EU-China Power Audit’ said, suggesting Beijing was now ready to treat the
EU with something "akin to diplomatic contempt" - apparent in its last-
minute cancelation of the December EU-China summit in Lyon.
The release of this report has been greeted here as an indication that EU-
China bilateral ties are getting increasingly complex, and booming economic
and business ties between the two sides can not stem the occurrence of
embarrassing incidents like Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama.
"Europe is getting more and more demanding of China," said a high-profile
article in the liberal Southern Weekend newspaper here this week.
"The European Union’s policy to China was never one of ‘unconditional
engagement’," the paper quoted Ma Zhengang, senior diplomat and former
ambassador to the UK, referring to the report’s criticism. "But right now there
is every indication that the bloc’s approach to China is undergoing changes."
The rift with France over Tibet is only the latest in a series of recent disputes
over China’s human rights record. A 2007 meeting between Angela Merkel,
chancellor of Germany, and the Dalai Lama, also raised hackles in Beijing. The
People’s Daily said the encounter had "seriously harmed relations between
Beijing and Berlin."
"China-EU relations still have a very rigid political framework and both sides
often have unrealistic demands of each other," says Xing Hua, European
researcher at the China Institute of International Studies. "But in the current
global situation it would be beneficial for the EU to concentrate on realistic
gains that can be achieved through cooperation with China and put aside
some of its idealistic expectations."
(END/2009)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is RSS?
