China, EU leaders to blueprint partnership agreement on upcoming summit

BEIJING—China and the European Union (EU) will focus on setting down a cooperative agreement for China-EU partnership on the upcoming 10th Sino-EU summit scheduled on Nov. 28, said EU top envoy to China Serge Abou here on Monday.
Jose Socrates, prime minister of Portugal, which holds the rotating EU presidency, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso as well as other senior EU officials will head for Beijing to attend the summit with Chinese state leaders.
Both sides will review the important progress made in EU-China relations over the past ten years, and discuss how to further bilateral pragmatic cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, tourism and education, Abou told a press briefing.
The Chinese and EU leaders are also expected to discuss international and regional issues of common concern such as the situation of the Middle East, Myanmar issue, the Iranian nuclear standoff and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, according to Abou.
“I’m sure we will have a very intense discussion,” the EU ambassador said, adding both sides are preparing for the summit in a spirit of optimism, confidence and cooperation.
The fourth EU-China Business Summit will be held on the sideline of the leaders’ meeting, attracting about 500 entrepreneurs from China and the EU. They are expected to have in-depth discussions on topics relating to bilateral trade and investment cooperation including the protection of intellectual property rights and product safety, Abou said.

—Daily Mail, People’s Daily news exchange item