“We need to accelerate our negotiation on the China-EU Investment Treaty”, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang highlights from the 21st EU-China summit in Brussels

EU-China Summit 2019, Signing ceremony
Shoot date: 09/04/2019, Location: Bruxelles – BELGIUM
Copyright: European Union

The presidents of the European Commission and EU Council welcomed the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday at the 21st EU-China summit in Brussels where the two sides acknowledged their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. EU and China agreed to a joint statement confirming their strategic intent and efforts for a more resilient cooperation in the framework of mutual respect and economic growth. To be noted that this powerful agreement was reached just hours after the US President announced his will to impose tariffs on 11 billion dollars of U.S. imports of goods from the EU. EU-China joint statement After long negotiations prior to yesterday’s China-EU summit, both the EU and Chinese officials sealed a beneficial agreement. More specifically, Donald Tusk mentioned at the press conference: “Negotiations have been difficult, but ultimately fruitful. We managed to agree a joint statement, which sets the direction for our partnership based on reciprocity. This was our common effort and it is our common success.” The two sides decided to boost trade relations and deepen their collaboration in an attempt to promote peace, growth and reforms. Furthermore, market access was agreed to be improved in order to finalise the EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement in 2020. The Chinese Premier stated during the summit: “We need to accelerate our negotiation on the China-EU Investment Treaty forge to secure desicive progress by the end of this year setting the stage for us to sign the high-level BIT between China and EU by the end of next year which treats businesses from both sides as equals and helps the two sides to open further to each other in both ways”. As regards WTO’s reform, both sides committed to work closely towards strengthening international rules on industrial subsidies. According to Donald Tusk, this constitutes a “breakthrough” since it is the first time China agrees to address this issue commonly with the EU. What is more, foreign and security policy were among the key agenda topics that both the EU and China were committed to. They will join forces to provide stability and peace through cooperation in accordance with the international law. Last, but not least, the urgency to tackle climate change was set as a top priority in the statement. Therefore, it was jointly agreed to collaborate in the area of green finance in order to reverse the bad situation for the climate towards a more sustainable economy. EU-China climate contribution Climate change is rapidly creating immense environmental threats mainly due to human intervention. It is thus imperative to tackle this long-lasting issue that poses a threat to our future. As EU and China have pledged to implement the Paris Agreement and the Montreal Protocol and take effective actions to address climate change, it is crucial that they become climate’s global defenders by combining their powers. The latter gains imminent pertinence at this critical moment for the climate when other countries like the US withdrew from the Paris pact. Today the current Trump administration is worshipping “clean coal” and demonising wind energy. EU-US trade war The significant upgrade of the EU-China relations came moments after the Tweets by the US President promulgated the launch of tariffs against EU. Donald Trump claimed yesterday that the US will impose 11 billion dollars tariffs on EU goods in response to EU subsidies to Airbus. Through his favourite and trusted of all media, Twitter, the US President tweeted: “The World Trade Organization finds that the European Union subsidies to Airbus has adversely impacted the United States, which will now put Tariffs on $11 Billion of EU products! The EU has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade for many years. It will soon stop!” If the MAGA threats take place, they will certainly have an economic impact on the Old Continent together with the tariffs that the US President has already threatened to impose on (German) cars imported from the EU. EU-China future relationship Naturally, the EU is China’s biggest trading partner while China is the EU’s second biggest partner. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang mentioned during the 21st EU-China summit that both sides need to enhance their collaboration and that China supports an integrated European Union. Also, from the EU side, President Juncker underlined: “our partnership with China for us is a priority – and it needs a comprehensive approach to match…European investment in China went up for the first time in four years in 2018.” All in all, the strategic ties between the two parties are being invigorated, despite their differences. It is thus of the benefit and prosperity of the world that the EU and China prove to be valuable strategic allies in our turbulent modern times.

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Interesting reads

© UNICEF/Amer Almohibany Destroyed buildings in Harasta, Ghouta. A suburb of Damascus, Ghouta was the site of a deadly chemical weapons attack in August 2013.

Undeclared chemical weapons found in Syria, including type used in notorious Ghouta massacre

This article is published in association with United Nations. Chemical weapons inspectors have uncovered a significant cache of previously undeclared chemical weapons in Syria – including rockets of the same type used in the notorious 2013 Ghouta attack – in what the UN’s top disarmament official called a “momentous discovery” for international security. Izumi Nakamitsu briefed […]
© UNICEF Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, during a visit to frontline areas in Ukraine.

Growing up with sirens: UN child rights envoy on the toll of the Ukraine-Russia war

This article is published in association with United Nations. Children in Ukraine have been profoundly impacted by years of war, sheltering in underground schools – or forced to study online – and living with the psychological strain of constant air raid sirens that could spell death for them and their families. But children on both sides […]
OCHA/Charlotte Cans The El Niño-induced drought in Ziway Dugda, Oromia region of Ethiopia, is affecting every family and they don't have enough food at home to feed themselves. (file photo).

El Niño confirmed, set to fuel more extreme weather, says WMO

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there is an 80 […]
© UNICEF The aftermath of a Russian strike on a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

UN deplores another wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine

This article is published in association with United Nations. Overnight attacks in three key cities in Ukraine have left several civilians dead, scores more injured, and homes, hospitals and shops destroyed or damaged, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Tuesday.  Matthias Schmale condemned the large-scale Russian assault on the capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipro and Kharkiv, […]
© WHO/Joël Lumbala A shipment of essential medical supplies for the Ebola response arrives at Bunia airport in Ituri province, DR Congo.

DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Nurses discharged after full recovery

This article is published in association with United Nations. Four nurses who fell ill with Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been discharged from hospital after recovering from the often-fatal illness that sparked an international health alert.  “More recoveries are expected, especially when people are diagnosed early and able to access care, and […]
This article is published in association with United Nations.

Under fire, Kharkiv is already building for a peaceful tomorrow

This article is published in association with United Nations. Every day in Kharkiv begins with uncertainty: air raid sirens interrupt sleep; missiles strike residential neighbourhoods, industrial sites, and roads. Anxious citizens rush into metro stations during bombardments and children study underground. Yet amid the destruction, Ukraine’s second-largest city is doing something that may seem almost impossible […]
© UNOCHA A heavily damaged apartment building in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine.

UN warns Ukraine war risks spiralling ‘out of control’

This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations on Thursday warned of a dangerous escalation in the war in Ukraine after a wave of large-scale Russian strikes and threats of further attacks, with Secretary-General António Guterres saying “the death spiral must stop.” Addressing the Security Council in New York, Mr. Guterres said […]
© WHO A frontline health worker in PPE (personal protective equipment) takes part in the Ebola response in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo collides with conflict and hunger, WHO warns

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo faces a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict” as a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak outpaces containment efforts in a region already battered by armed violence, mass displacement and acute hunger. WHO Director-General […]
© WFP/Michael Castofas WFP staff and responders handle boxes of supplies at a logistics site in DR Congo during the Ebola outbreak.

International airlines urged to stick to safety measures in wake of Ebola outbreak

This article is published in association with United Nations. As a deadly Ebola strain continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, the UN aviation agency is urging governments and flight operators to closely follow guidelines put in place following the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of the […]
© WHO Supplies to bolster the response against the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province arrive in the town of Bunia.

Ebola epidemic spreading rapidly and outpacing containment efforts

This article is published in association with United Nations. There are more than 900 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 220 suspected deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Monday. The latest outbreak of the deadly disease, which WHO has declared […]
This article is published in association with United Nations.

WHO chief calls for urgent Ebola action and pandemic preparedness

This article is published in association with United Nations. The recent Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks demonstrate that the world is still vulnerable to rapidly spreading infectious diseases, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned on Saturday at the close of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva. His call came as Ugandan […]
This article is published in association with United Nations.

UN agencies step up Ebola response in eastern DR Congo

This article is published in association with United Nations. United Nations agencies have moved swiftly to support efforts to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), delivering emergency medical supplies, protective equipment and logistics support. As health authorities in both the DRC and Uganda respond to the deadly resurgence, the […]
© UNICEF/Josue Mulala Emergency aid is prepared for delivery to Kasaï province in response to the recently declared Ebola virus disease outbreak in DR Congo.

Ebola risk is high inside DR Congo but it’s no pandemic emergency: WHO

This article is published in association with United Nations. The deadly Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda does not represent a global pandemic emergency, although the risk is high at a regional and national level, the UN health agency chief said on Wednesday. In an update on the fast-developing situation in […]
This article is published in association with United Nations.

How the Hormuz crisis keeps disrupting kitchens, ports and paychecks

This article is published in association with United Nations. The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran may have eased fears of a wider regional war, but persistent instability around the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global trade, drive up energy costs and fuel a growing jobs and cost-of-living crisis. The fallout is being […]
© UNFPA Ukraine In March 2026, a maternity hospital in Odesa, Ukraine was attacked by Russian forces.

World News in Brief: More attacks in Ukraine, violence against children in Haiti, refugee IDs in Africa

This article is published in association with United Nations. Civilians, including humanitarians, continue to face great danger across war-torn Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities, according to the UN humanitarian relief coordination office there, OCHA. Over the past three days, frontline attacks killed at least 11 civilians and injured nearly 200 others, including five children, as reported by […]
UN Photo/Milton Grant Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon. The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 andUnited States Pershing nuclear missiles.

Nuclear terror threat ‘has never been so high’

This article is published in association with United Nations. The widespread availability of new technology, such as militarised drones and artificial intelligence, means that the current threat of nuclear terrorism is higher than it has ever been. The humanitarian, environmental, and economic consequences of a radiological or nuclear terrorist attack would be global, undermining international peace […]
© UNICEF/Nyan Zay Htet Recent disruptions to energy supplies and global supply chains have reverberated across development and humanitarian sectors, including relief efforts in Myanmar, where millions remain in need of assistance.

Global energy and trade disruption pushing millions towards poverty

This article is published in association with United Nations. Disruptions to global energy supplies and trade corridors are driving up the cost of food, transport and essential goods worldwide, slowing economic growth and increasing pressure on vulnerable households and debt-strapped developing countries. The warnings came during a special meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council […]
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher (centre) along with Ambassador Mike Waltz (right) and Jeremy P. Lewin of the United States hold a joint press briefing on funding to the humanitarian system.

UN welcomes $1.8 billion US boost for humanitarian operations

This article is published in association with United Nations. An additional $1.8 billion in US humanitarian funding will allow the United Nations and its partners to expand emergency relief operations reaching millions of people worldwide, as rising global needs and funding shortfalls force aid agencies to scale back assistance. The funding announcement, made on Wednesday by […]
© WHO/Hanan Balkhy Displaced families are living in overcrowded tents and makeshift shelters, surrounded by waste and debris, with limited access to safe water and sanitation services.

World News in Brief: Mounting waste in Gaza, drone attacks in Sudan, aid truck struck in Ukraine

This article is published in association with United Nations. Mounting waste and limited access to sanitation sites are deepening health risks for families across Gaza, as humanitarian workers warn that overcrowded dumping areas and worsening living conditions threaten vulnerable communities. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN’s top aid official in Occupied Palestinian Territory visited a dumping site in Gaza […]

Why don't you drop your comment here?

Go back up

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

The European Sting – Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology – europeansting.com