Closer partners, growing responsibilities: that has been the policy of European Union (EU) countries toward China.

Now, the eighth Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers, which opened in Hamburg, Germany, yesterday, intends to extend that policy to involve China in solving major global and regional problems.

European foreign ministers are expected to confront China over the Darfur issue at the two-day meeting of top diplomats from 46 EU and Asian countries when Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attends the meeting. Yang replaced Li Zhaoxing late last month.

Included in their discussions would be issues ranging from the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and Iranian nuclear crisis to global warming.

The ASEM meeting comes a week before the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. President Hu Jintao will attend the outreach session of the G8 annual summit.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put the Darfur issue on the G8 agenda, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that neither this issue nor the Iranian and Korean Peninsula nuclear issues can be resolved without China.

Analysts say the pressure on China is because the EU sees it as an emerging power on the international stage and wants it to shoulder greater responsibilities.

A policy paper issued by the European Commission on China last October signaled the EU's wish to further intensify its comprehensive engagement with China. But it also stressed increased responsibilities and expectations should go hand in hand with China's stronger influence and position.

Before the meeting began yesterday, Yang held special talks with the EU troika of Britain, France and Germany.

Yang also met with foreign ministers of some other countries, including Japan's Taro Aso, on the sidelines. The two agreed to accelerate talks on a dispute over gas exploration rights in East China Sea to compile a joint development plan by fall, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency.

In response to a new Japanese initiative aimed at halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Yang said Beijing is interested in Tokyo's plan to create a new financial mechanism to help developing countries balance their development and climate change efforts.

Yang raised China's concern over detrimental effects of a planned 11-day visit to Japan by former Taiwanese leader Lee Teng-hui in June on China-Japan ties. Beijing views him as a representative of those seeking formal independence for Taiwan, which is an integral part of China.

(China Daily May 29, 2007)