The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ “Research Report on China-EU relations (2014)” was released in Beijing on February the 27th. Its main claim is that both from the perspective of the international environment and of the two sides’ requirements, the China-EU relationship will develop in a promising direction over the next decade.

The newly published book, which was chiefly edited by Zhou Hong, the director of the Institute of European Studies of CASS and president of the Chinese Association for European Studies, reviews the development of China-EU relations over the past decade, from 2003 to 2013. It indicates that after ten years of zigzagging development, “the China-EU relationship is moving in a steady way, although it is dissatisfactory in some aspects, presenting some unavoidable conflicts and contradictions”。

In 2003，China and the EU both issued policy documents on their mutual relationship, and vowed to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership during the 6th China-EU leaders’ meeting. Ten years later, exchange and cooperation between the two sides has reached an unprecedentedly high level. The mutual relationship has not only contributed to China and the EU’s development, but also helped assure their respective futures.

The blue book argues that in spite of their solid foundation, China-EU relations still have to face tremendous challenges. In future economic and trade cooperation will remain both the basis and the center of China-EU relations. However, China and Europe will also carry out comprehensive cooperation in a variety of fields. China-EU political relations will have to become more pragmatic, and China will have to develop a more extensive, in-depth and balanced relationship with EU members. It is hopeful that China and Europe will jointly push forward the construction of fair and reasonable rules of trade and investment. The two sides should also increasingly conduct cooperation in multilateral settings around the world.

Over the next decade it will be possible to further develop relations between China, the EU and its member states in many aspects, including defense cooperation, military training, crisis management, cyber security, space technology, energy strategy, country governance, environmental protection, transfer of labor, the urbanization process, social governance and cultural exchanges.

The blue book ends with the claim that the success of China-EU cooperation “will be far more significant for human progress than EU-US cooperation”, and that through the two sides’ joint efforts, China-EU relations will enjoy a bright future, marked by increased comprehensiveness and strategy.

Chinese link: http://cass.cssn.cn/meitiguanzhu/201402/t20140228_1006524.html

Translated by Yu Hui

Revised by Gabriele Corsetti