List of Outcomes of the 19th China-EU Summit

2017-06-04
english.gov.cn

H.E. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and H.E. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, met in Brussels on 1 and 2 June 2017 for the 19th China-EU Summit. Premier Li and President Juncker jointly attended the China-EU Business Summit, China-EU SMEs Matchmaking Event and China-EU Dialogue on Innovation Cooperation.

The leaders of the two sides applauded the positive outcomes of the summit, and commended the fruitful progress of China-EU relations in politics, economy, culture, people-to-people and other fields. Following the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual trust and mutual benefit, the two sides will continue to make full use of the 70 or so China-EU dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, including the Summit, the High-Level Strategic Dialogue, the High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue and the High-Level People-to-People Dialogue, enhance the partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization, and further expand bilateral, regional and global cooperation.

China and the EU reached a series of new cooperation initiatives on deepening China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit, which include the following:

1. The leaders of the two sides agreed that as comprehensive strategic partners, strengthening China-EU cooperation in all respects is of greater strategic importance than ever before. The two sides committed themselves to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, safeguarding the WTO rules and fostering an open world economy.

2. The two sides acknowledged the unprecedented level of maturity attained in China-EU relations. The EU reaffirmed its commitment to the One-China principle. China reaffirmed its support for European integration.

3. The EU supported China’s commitment to comprehensively deepening reform and its implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. China expressed its support for the EU’s efforts to promote growth, investment and regulatory reform. The two sides will fully implement the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, strengthen synergies between their respective development strategies, and push forward China-EU cooperation.

4. The two sides applauded the successful outcomes of the 7th China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue, and agreed to continue to conduct consultation and dialogue on foreign policy and regional affairs, and further enhance security and defense cooperation through the regular Security and Defense Dialogue. The two sides exchanged views on international and regional hot spot issues of shared interest.

5. The two sides agreed to hold ad hoc expert level consultations on counterterrorism, and promote multilateral and bilateral cooperation on countering violent extremism and terrorism through the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum and the Financial Action Task Force. The two sides welcomed the signing of the agreement on strategic cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Europol on 19 April 2017.

6. The two sides agreed to enhance synergies between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Investment Plan for Europe, and welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding Aiming at Facilitating a Co-investment Framework by China’s Silk Road Fund and the European Investment Fund and the establishment of the China-EU Joint Investment Fund. The two sides committed to pushing forward relevant cooperation in the framework of multilateral development institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

7. The two sides committed to working closely with the German presidency and other members of the G20 to ensure that the forthcoming summit in Hamburg will, building on the G20 Hangzhou Summit, deliver successful outcomes and contribute to strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

8. The two sides discussed the EU’s fulfillment of its obligations under Article 15 of China’s WTO Accession Protocol and expanded common understanding on this issue. China underscored that the EU should honor its Article 15 obligations and send a signal of respecting international rules to the international community and market. The EU said it is in the process of amending the relevant legislation and commits to doing so in a nondiscriminatory manner and consistent with WTO rules.

9. The two sides reiterated the importance of strengthening the WTO’s central role in the multilateral trading system, committed to safeguarding the rules-based, transparent, nondiscriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trade system and welcomed the entry into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. The two sides agreed to work for a successful WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in December 2017.

10. The two sides committed to holding the 7th High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED) before the end of 2017. As instructed by the leaders, the 7th HED should address issues of shared interest to the two sides in a balanced way.

11. The two sides viewed the ongoing Investment Agreement negotiations as a top priority. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to speeding up negotiations in a cooperative and pragmatic spirit with a view to reaching an ambitious and balanced outcome as early as possible, in order to establish and maintain a friendly, predictable, business-conducive policy environment for investors from both sides.

12. The two sides signed the Joint Communique between the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission on the Negotiation of the Agreement on Cooperation and Protection of Geographical Indications. Both sides expressed the intention to conclude the negotiations within 2017 and agreed to publish their respective GI names for opposition on 3 June 2017.

13. The two sides welcomed the preparatory meeting of the China-EU Steel Trade Mechanism held on 18 May 2017, and agreed that the China-EU Steel Trade Mechanism should, in accordance with the consensus of the 18th China-EU Summit, focus on steel trade. The two sides committed to resolving steel trade frictions through friendly consultations and mutually beneficially cooperation.

14. The two sides signed the Administrative Arrangement for the Intellectual Property Cooperation Project “IP Key China” between the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the European Commission. The two sides reaffirmed their full support for the China-EU IP Dialogue and committed to reinforcing their joint efforts in fighting infringement of intellectual property rights and to deepening cooperation on intellectual property issues

15. The two sides welcomed the progress achieved under the China-EU Connectivity Platform, including improving customs clearance facilitation, enhancing harmonization of technical rules and standards in transport, strengthening cooperation in low-carbon and smart transportation, conducting investment and financing cooperation, and promoting substantial progress on viable demonstration projects.

16. The two sides welcomed the progress achieved under the Joint Statement on 5G cooperation of 2015 and committed to enhancing cooperation on cyber issues through the China-EU Cyber Taskforce, the China-EU Digital Economy and Cyber Security Expert Working Group and other mechanisms.

17. The two sides signed the Enhancing China-EU Trade Security and Facilitation Strategic Framework for Customs Cooperation 2018-2020 between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the European Union with the objective of enhancing customs connectivity, strengthening customs regulation, combating illicit trade and facilitating lawful trade.

18. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of addressing climate change and their commitment under the 2015 Paris Agreement, and agreed to step up cooperation to promote its implementation.

19. The two sides commended the progress achieved in the exchange and cooperation between their cities and companies on urbanization policies since the launch of the China-EU urbanization partnership five years ago, and reaffirmed their readiness to implement the Joint Declaration on the China-EU Partnership on Urbanization and take the partnership to a new level. The two sides held the 10th China-EU High-Level Regional Policy Dialogue and the 12th Seminar with the goal of supporting more cities and regions to participate in China-EU Regional Policy cooperation.

20. The two sides approved the Implementation of the China-EU Roadmap on Energy Cooperation/Work Plan 2017-2018, and agreed to focus cooperation on the making of energy policies and energy efficiency standards, low-carbon energy technologies, renewable energy, energy supervision and energy interconnection.

21. The two sides agreed to work toward signing the Memorandum on China-EU Circular Economy Cooperation and advance Intergovernmental Policy Dialogue and practical cooperation between enterprises, with the priorities on emission permit, environment management and economic transition through environmental protection, and supported the establishment of the China-EU Water Policy Dialogue.

22. The two sides welcomed the outcomes of the 8th meeting of the China-EU Bilateral Coordination Mechanism on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance, and committed to strengthening cooperation on such issues as desertification, wildlife trafficking, biodiversity protection, deforestation and prevention of illegally harvested timber from entering the market.

23. The two sides signed the Administrative Agreement between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) and the European Commissionon a co-founding mechanism for the period 2018-2020 to support collaborative research and innovation projects under joint flagship initiatives and in other areas, and the Research Framework Arrangement between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Commission Joint Research Center. The two sides commended the success of the 3rd Innovation Cooperation Dialogue held on 2 June 2017 in Brussels, and expressed the readiness to continue research and innovation cooperation based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit.

24. The leaders of the two sides welcomed the progress made in the negotiations on the Bilateral Aviation Safety agreement and Horizontal agreement and encouraged the timely conclusion of these negotiations.

25. The two sides agreed to hold the 4th round of the High-Level People-to-People Dialogue in November 2017 in China, and committed to strengthening exchanges in the areas of education, culture, media, youth, gender equality and sport.

26. The two sides agreed to further strengthen the China-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue and the implementation of its road map, and committed to streamlining the procedures of short-stay visa application for all nondiplomatic passport holders from both sides. To this end, the two sides agreed to hold expert consultations every three months.

27. The two sides reiterated their satisfaction with the discussions under the first China-EU Legal Affairs Dialogue, and agreed to hold the next China-EU Legal Affairs Dialogue before the end of 2017 and carry out exchanges and cooperation under the principles of equality, mutual trust, mutual respect, inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.

28. The two sides expressed appreciation for the outcomes of the 2012-2017 China-EU Disaster Risk Management cooperation project, and agreed to continue to promote the building and development of the China-EU Institute of Emergency Management (CEIEM) and actively explore new areas of cooperation on emergency management.

29. The two sides agreed to hold a successful 2017 China-EU Blue Year and work toward the building of a China-EU Blue Partnership focusing on ocean management and other cooperation priorities.

30. The two sides signed the Arrangement on the Implementation of the 2018 China-EU Tourism Year between the China National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission, and agreed to hold a successful 2018 China-EU Tourism Year, with a view to improving the travel and tourism experience of the two peoples and creating more opportunities for economic cooperation.