The third target of the summit is to discuss the four concepts put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2014: civilization, reform, growth and development. The long-term target of the EU-China relationship is to realize these four concepts and accept different understandings of them. At the present moment, the best possible way to pursue these four concepts is to explore measures that connect the EU’s new investment plan with China’s Belt and Road initiatives. One of the related topics that may be discussed at the summit is the establishment of an EU-China joint funding platform to carry out joint investment projects in infrastructure, clean energy and corporate cooperation.
Finally, the EU and China will sign a series of agreements on low-carbon energy technology and science and technology innovation. The EU and its member states are investing more money in the development of low-carbon and energy-efficient technologies to both transform the EU economy to a green and low-carbon model and to increase the EU’s energy self-sufficiency.
A secure energy supply is necessary for EU economy growth, but official EU statistics show that the EU imported 53 percent of its energy at a cost of around 400 billion euros, making it the largest energy importer in the world. Six EU member states depend on a single external supplier for all their gas imports and therefore remain extremely vulnerable to supply shocks. China is the big energy-consuming country in the world, and the proportion of fossil fuels in its primary energy production is high. Many industries in China have high carbon emissions, resulting in serious environmental pollution that necessitates the restructuring of China’s energy production and consumption.
For this reason, enhancing energy cooperation is a common interest of the EU and China. In 1997, the EU and China established an energy cooperation dialogue with a focus on technological cooperation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor program as well as in the fields of hydrogen energy, fuel cells, bio fuels, wind power, clean coal, energy efficiency and renewable energy. China and the EU signed a joint energy security declaration in November 2013 during the sixth China-EU energy dialogue, which was held in China.
At the summit this month, senior leaders from both sides will initiate more measures to deepen cooperation and the shared development of nuclear energy, solar power, energy efficiency technology and smart grids.
During Premier Li’s visit to France, China and France will actively implement a long-term strategy of Sino-French relations, taking concrete steps toward mitigating climate change, developing green energy, and building energy efficiency. This cooperation will involve the adoption of low-carbon technology, carbon dioxide capture and storage technology development and other efficiency technologies by China's power production industry. The French Development Agency will continue to focus on improving energy efficiency in China, and China and France will coordinate under the International Renewable Energy Agency, a multilateral green technology framework.
In 2014, the EU and China decided to establish an innovation partnership. Innovation is a driving force that will make the EU more competitive in the world economy, create new jobs and promote sustainable growth. The innovation partnership between China and the EU encompasses not only traditional economic and trade fields but also includes the innovation of the systems and mechanisms of innovation, redefining cooperation approaches by expanding the idea of innovation into the fields of politics, economics, culture, industry, agriculture, health and social security.
According to a global report on innovation on the top 10 innovative countries in the world, EU annual research expenditure from public and private sources is the second largest after the United States, while its research and development intensity is about 2.1 percent, almost the same as that of China. However, the EU’s research and development investment has resulted in higher competitiveness than China; the EU’s micro, small and medium enterprises in particular have strong innovative abilities and innovative ideas.
To advance the development of the innovation partnership, Premier Li will attend a China-EU innovation forum and present a speech on enhancing the EU-China innovation partnership with concrete measures in the development of science, technology, energy and other fields. China has developed several cooperative innovation projects with Belgium, and high-tech cooperation between the two countries is increasing as a result.
In 2012, Haier Group and the University of Leuven established the first Chinese-funded overseas design laboratory. Meanwhile, Huawei, ZTE and Datang Telecom have been working with Belgium’s world-famous IMEC, also known as the Interuniversity Microelectronics Center. Beijing’s Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park has also opened its second European office in Brussels. In 2013, Wuhan East Lake High Tech Venture Center and the University of Leuven signed an agreement, to build China's first overseas business incubator, which will allow the transfer of scientific and technological achievements to high-tech SMEs in both countries through an innovative service platform. Such successful pilot projects can act as models for future cooperation with other EU member states.
Without a doubt, Premier Li’s visit will make EU-China relations more innovative and friendly, creating a sound foundation for realizing the EU-China 2020 cooperation strategy.
The author is a senior research fellow with the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.