Exchanges

10th EU-China Business Summit Focuses on Cooperation

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 10th China-EU Business Summit in Brussels on June 29， alongside President Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission.

Li said that China is willing to interface with The European Fund for Strategic Investment （EFSI） and participate in joint infrastructure construction. China and the EU can work together in exploring third-party markets with cooperation in priority areas such as equipment manufacturing. In addition， Li emphasized that the two sides should prioritize industrial investments， financial cooperation and raise the level of trade and investment liberalization. The premier urged both sides to give full play to the guiding role of the China-EU High-Level People-toPeople Dialogue （HPPD）， successfully hold the China-EU Year of Intercultural Dialogue and serve as actors and initiators in forging stronger bilateral relations.

Juncker described China as one of the EUs most important and reliable trading partners， with interdependence deepening between the two sides. To bounce back from the ongoing financial crisis and tackle global challenges， a closer partnership between the EU and China is needed， he said. The EU， Juncker said， pays close attention to Chinas economic strategy and is willing to cooperate with it in the fields of connectivity and infrastructure construction. He added that the EU admires Chinas efforts in reducing carbon emissions， and that the two sides can likewise deepen their collaboration in this area.

China and U.S. Hold New Rounds of S&ED and CPE

The seventh round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue （S&ED） and the sixth round of the China-U.S. High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange （CPE） opened on June 23 in Washington. Chinas Vice Premier Liu Yandong， a special representative of President Xi Jinping， Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi led the Chinese delegation， while the American side was headed by U.S. President Barack Obamas special representative Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew.

Liu， in her speech during the opening ceremony， said that China and the U.S. can manage their differences and safeguard common interests as long as both sides keep their common goals in sight， respect and consider each others core interests and major concerns， stick to constructive interactions and avoid strategic misunderstandings and miscalculations.

Wang noted that the current Dialogue， held before President Xis state visit to the U.S.， involved special and important objectives. Through the meeting， China is willing to work with the U.S. to lay a solid foundation for the presidents successful trip to the U.S.， Wang said.

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden also attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. He said that his country is willing to work with China to deepen cooperation in various fields， carry out fair and sound competition， properly handle differences， develop long-term and stable U.S.-China relations and jointly meet the global challenges of the 21st century.

Kerry said that this round of the S&ED would focus mainly on strengthening cooperation in international and regional issues， such as anti-terrorism， the Afghan issue and the Iranian nuclear issue. The CPE， he said， will be committed to promoting bilateral communication and cooperation in fields such as education， science， technology， sports， public health， and womens issues.

Fourth World Peace Forum Held in Beijing

The fourth World Peace Forum， with the theme “Overcome Difficulties： Understanding， Consultation and Reciprocity，”was held in Beijing on June 27 and 28.

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao， in remarks delivered during the opening ceremony， said that in todays world， humankind has become one community traveling on the same boat. Peace and security， he said， are preconditions to common development. People should achieve friendship， respect and equality in the spirit of understanding， consultation and reciprocity， and thus cement the mutual trust that is the foundation for peace and security.

Peace， harmony and reconciliation， meanwhile， can be achieved through consultation and is a way to enable co-existence among different nations， religions， cultures， systems and societies， Li said. He also emphasized the importance of achieving common development， jointly overcoming the challenges of the times and finding “win-win results” to promote a new type of global development partnership and build a community of shared peace， security and destiny.

Before the forums opening ceremony， Li met foreign politicians who were in attendance， including Indonesias former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono， Frances former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin， Australias former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the United States former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Stephen John Hadley. The event drew some 500 participants from home and abroad.