Archive for ‘Chinese premier Li Keqiang’

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10/04/2019

Chinese premier arrives in Croatia for official visit, China-CEEC leaders’ meeting

ZAGREB, April 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Croatia on Tuesday for an official visit to the country and the eighth leaders’ meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) in the Croatian seaside city Dubrovnik.

Upon Li’s arrival, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his wife Ana Plenkovic led a warm welcome ceremony at the Zagreb Airport. Children dressed in national costumes presented flowers to Premier Li and his wife Cheng Hong.

Li is the first Chinese premier that pays a visit to Croatia since the two countries established diplomatic ties 27 years ago.

The Chinese premier said he is happy to visit the beautiful country, adding that China and Croatia share a profound traditional friendship.

Bilateral relations enjoy healthy and stable development on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, and cooperation in all areas has continuously achieved significant breakthroughs, which has brought tangible benefits to both sides, Li said.

“I expect this visit can consolidate China-Croatia traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen the alignment of the two countries’ development strategies and policies, expand and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, so as to promote China-Croatia comprehensive cooperative partnership to a new higher level,” the premier said.

Li said that currently, cooperation between China and the 16 CEECs has shown strong vitality with significant outcomes achieved in areas including economy and trade, investment, finance, infrastructure, agriculture, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

It has become a vigorous inter-regional cooperation mechanism which has provided a new avenue for China’s cooperation with Europe, he added.

Li said China expects to work with the 16 CEECs, under the principles of equality and consultation, mutual benefits, openness and inclusiveness, and with pragmatic and innovative spirits, to make the cooperation mechanism an important platform for synergizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia so as to inject new impetus into the development of the China-CEEC relations and the European integration process.

During the visit to Croatia, Li will have a meeting with Plenkovic, with whom he will hold a joint press conference, attend an opening ceremony of the Year of Tourism between China and Croatia, inspect the project of the Peljesac Bridge and witness the signing of cooperation deals in several areas. Li will also meet Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic.

During the China-CEEC leaders’ meeting themed “Building New Bridges through Openness, Innovation and Partnership,” the Chinese premier and leaders of 16 CEECs will plan practical cooperation in the future, witness the signing of cooperation deals, attend a series of activities including an economic and trade forum. Li will also hold bilateral meetings with CEEC leaders.

Before landing in Zagreb, the second stop of the premier’s five-day tour to Europe, Li concluded his trip in Brussels with the successful holding of the 21st China-European Union (EU) leaders’ meeting.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in 21st China-European Union (EU) leaders' meeting, Ana Plenkovic, Andrej Plenkovic, Building New Bridges through Openness, Innovation and Partnership, Cheng Hong, China alert, China-CEEC, Chinese premier Li Keqiang, Croatia, Croatian President, Croatian Prime Minister, Dubrovnik, Gordan Jandrokovic, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, parliament speaker, Uncategorized, Zagreb Airport | Leave a Comment »

09/04/2019

Li urges closer China-Europe cooperation for mutual benefit

BRUSSELS, April 8 (Xinhua) — China and Europe stand to benefit from closer cooperation, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in a signed article published Monday in German newspaper Handelsblatt as he kicked off a visit to the continent.

In the article titled Embracing Openness and Cooperation for Mutual Benefit, Li pointed to rising instabilities and uncertainties in the international situation and a resurgence of protectionism, unilateralism and anti-globalization sentiments.

Against such a backdrop, China and Europe need to jointly uphold multilateralism and the free trade system by following a strategic and global perspective and a sensible approach, Li said.

“Our two sides need to work together to promote an open world economy and address long-running issues and new challenges confronting the human society to inject stability into an increasingly uncertain world,” he said.

China, said the premier, will continue to cooperate with the European Union (EU) on a broad range of issues, such as upholding the Paris Agreement, promoting sustainable development, adhering to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue and combating terrorism.

China, he added, is also ready to step up communication and build consensus with the EU on such issues as advancing the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to fully accommodate the interests and concerns of all parties and better safeguard the interests of the majority of WTO members.

The premier noted that the past 40 years have witnessed a 250-fold increase in trade between the two sides, and that the EU has been China’s top trading partner for 15 years in a row, while China has been the EU’s second largest trading partner for years running.

Two-way trade hit a new record of 682.16 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, close to eight million visits are exchanged between the two sides every year, and more than 600 flights connect them every week, he added.

“I am confident that these figures will only grow bigger in the future,” Li said.

Having opened itself to the world, China will not close its doors but will only open them even wider, Li said, adding that more and more European companies are benefiting from China’s latest round of reform and opening-up measures.

“For example, BASF has announced a 10-billion-U.S.-dollar investment decision for a wholly-owned production complex in China’s Guangdong province,” he said. “ING of the Netherlands and the Bank of Beijing will invest 3 billion RMB yuan to establish a joint venture bank, with ING holding a 51 percent stake, making it the first foreign-controlled bank in China.”

The recently adopted Foreign Investment Law is designed to provide better protection for foreign investors and make China an even more attractive destination for overseas investment, he said.

“China is ready to work with Europe to promote two-way opening-up and provide a level playing field for our companies to strengthen cooperation in each other’s countries,” added the premier.

Li’s five-day Europe tour, scheduled for April 8 to 12, takes him to Brussels for the 21st China-EU leaders’ meeting, and Croatia for an official visit and the eighth leaders’ meeting of China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs).

According to Li, during the upcoming China-EU leaders’ meeting, the two sides will compare notes on a timetable and roadmap for intensifying negotiations on a China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty.

The two sides, he added, will also push for meaningful progress in the negotiations on the agreement of geographical indications, and hold the fourth China-EU Innovation Cooperation Dialogue.

“We want to use these efforts to develop new areas and new highlights in China-Europe cooperation,” said the premier.

As regards China-CEEC cooperation, Li said that as a platform for cross-regional cooperation, it is oriented to promoting free trade and globalization.

“China-CEEC cooperation, which has developed in the larger framework of China-Europe relations and EU laws and regulations, is conducive to more balanced development and unity of the EU and serves as a useful complement to China-EU relations,” he added.

“China and the EU have far more common interests than differences,” he said. “And our two sides have the wisdom and capability to properly handle differences, jointly tackle challenges, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation to the benefit of our nearly 2 billion people.”

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Bank of Beijing, Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), China alert, China-CEEC cooperation, China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty., Chinese premier Li Keqiang, combating terrorism, Embracing Openness and Cooperation for Mutual Benefit, European Union (EU), Handelsblatt, ING of the Netherlands, Iranian nuclear issue, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Paris Agreement on climate change, Uncategorized, World Trade Organization (WTO) | Leave a Comment »

09/04/2019

Assertive EU to face resistant China at trade-focused summit

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and EU institution leaders meet in Brussels on Tuesday for an annual EU-China summit set to be overshadowed by differences over trade and investment.

After years of offering free access to its markets, the European Union has said it is losing patience with Beijing over the pace of liberalising reforms. It also has growing concerns over state-led Chinese companies’ dominance of some EU markets and acquisitions of strategic industries.

Like the United States, many EU countries want to crack down on industrial subsidies and forced technology transfers, although prefer dialogue to the trade war Washington has triggered.

The European Commission set out a 10-point action plan last month, seeing scope for greater cooperation in fields such as climate change, but demanding greater reciprocity, such as access for EU firms to Chinese public tenders.

“The old narrative is absolutely obsolete,” Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen told Reuters.

Beijing and Brussels have been wrestling for weeks over the text of a joint declaration to be presented as the fruit of Tuesday’s summit between Li and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council chief Donald Tusk.

“China aims to have a feel-good summit, whereas we aim to have a meaningful summit, with a meaningful outcome,” Peter Berz, acting Asia director at the Commission’s trade section, told the European Parliament last week.

EU diplomats said on Monday negotiators had made some progress, but were still short of an agreed text. Talks would continue until the summit, due to start at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT).

China points to a new foreign investment law due to take effect at the start of 2020. It includes provisions to ban forced technology transfers and ensure foreign companies have access to public tenders.

EU officials say the law lacks detail and question how effective it will be in reality in protecting foreign firms.
Li wrote in a German newspaper on Monday that China wanted to work with the European Union on issues including trade and denied Beijing was trying to split the bloc by investing in eastern European states.
Source: Reuters

Posted in acting Asia director, Beijing, Brussels, China alert, Chinese premier Li Keqiang, Commission President, Commission Vice President, Commission’s trade section, Donald Tusk, EU diplomats, European Commission, European Council chief, European Parliament, European Union, industrial subsidies, Jean-Claude Juncker, Jyrki Katainen, Peter Berz, technology transfers, trade-focused summit, Uncategorized, United States | Leave a Comment »

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