Foreign and Military Affairs

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to attend ASEM meet

By Ai Yang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-28 08:25

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the 8th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in October, where top leaders from the two continents will meet to discuss topics including sensitive issues such as the arms embargo on China.

Also from Oct 2 to 9, Wen will pay official state visits to Greece, Belgium, Italy and Turkey, and attend the 13th China-EU summit, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Monday.

"The arms embargo and China's market economy status will certainly be discussed in Brussels," Serge Abou, the EU ambassador to China told China Daily. "Both are sensitive questions - and we will continue to work in Europe to solve them."

Abou noted that Europe wants reassurance that a lifting of the ban would not trigger "an arms race which the region does not need".

Many Chinese experts, however, are far from optimistic that the upcoming summit is likely to deliver satisfying results on these issues.

"The concern is not necessary at all since China does not pose any military threat to Europe," Jin Ling, an expert on EU studies at the China Institute of International Studies told China Daily.

"There are no territorial disputes between China and Europe," Jin said, adding that, therefore, there is no possibility of an arms race.

Until now, she noted, the EU has had a positive attitude, but beyond that there have been little successes as of late.

Indeed, if anything, "solving the two problems will take longer than hoped (given) the political significance far outweighs other considerations," an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, speaking anonymously.

Abou said the ASEM summit would cover topics ranging from the world economic situation to post-crisis perspectives in Europe and Asia, climate change and the Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction, among other subjects.

"However, the informal occasion will not resolve actual problems," the expert added. "It only gives a platform to let all parties speak - but the voices are different and focus on various things."

Abou has also called for more European investment in China and said that the current rate is "too little".

"China represents less than three percent of our investments abroad - which is far too little to correspond with the share of China in the world economy," he added.

The ambassador said European input in China is not simply to transfer production lines for cheaper costs at the expense of a rising unemployment rate in the home countries, but to "follow the growth of the Chinese market while bringing advanced technologies".

It is a "win-win" solution for both sides, Abou said, pointing to Wen's remarks that China is a safe destination for investments that yield profits.

During his four-nation tour through Europe, Wen will also attend events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, and the opening ceremony of Chinese Culture Year while in the country.

China will also hold a series of activities in more than 10 Italian cities, including Rome, Florence and Milan.

Xinhua, Zhou Wa contributed to this story.