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China-EU Geopolitics: News & Discussions

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Of course, this is total, not per capita. Per capita, both the US and the EU are bigger polluters.

China has yet to pollute its fair share until industrial development is complete.
 
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With Li's visit, China forges closer ties with EU
Xinhua, June 4, 2017

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C), European Council President Donald Tusk (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker co-chair the 19th China-EU leaders' meeting in Brussels, Belgium, June 2, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wrapped up on Friday a two-day visit to Belgium, where he met with European leaders and reaffirmed their commitment to developing a stable relationship between China and the European Union (EU) in face of growing global uncertainties.

The two sides have also sent out positive signals to the world with their resolution to champion free trade and globalization, and to carry forward the global fight against climate change despite setbacks.

Stability amid uncertainties

During his stay in Brussels, the Chinese premier attended the 12th EU-China Business Summit, and co-chaired the 19th China-EU leaders' meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

At both events, Li highlighted the importance of a stable and increasingly strong China-EU relationship in face of rising global uncertainties.

China highly values its relations with Europe and supports the EU countries to choose their own path of integration, Li told Tusk and Juncker during their annual meeting, adding that his country is happy to see an Europe that is unified, stable, open and prosperous.

The premier said he hopes the meeting could send a positive signal that the China-EU relationship remains stable and is steadily improving, and that they could respond to the global uncertainties with stability of their cooperation.

Noting that China and the EU have kept making new progress in their cooperation in recent years, Li urged the two sides to better align their development strategies, expand two-way opening up and push forward their negotiation on an investment agreement.

He encouraged the two sides to boost cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, aviation, information and network security, finance and renewable energy, among others.

The two sides should also take the opportunity of the "2018 EU-China Tourism Year" to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges, he added. ( Calling their meeting with the Chinese premier "constructive" and "fruitful," Tusk and Juncker told a joint press conference that the EU and China are important strategic and cooperative partners, and both sides attach great importance to their bilateral relations and cooperation.

Champions of free trade and globalization

Economic and trade ties topped the agenda of Li's Europe trip. In a keynote speech at the Business Summit, Li said both sides believe they should go with the tide of globalization and push forward globalization to make it fairer and more inclusive.

It is clear that globalization has brought tremendous benefits to China, the EU and the world, Li said, noting that globalization should not be blamed for the negative influence emerging along with it.

However, Li cautioned that China and the EU should take actions to tackle problems brought by economic globalization.

The current pressing task is to uphold the principles of fairness and free trade and revive the two engines of trade and investment, he added.

China always attaches great importance to fairness and sustainability while promoting free trade with the EU, Li said.

Noting that free trade and fair play complement each other, Li said he hopes that free trade can be sustainable, healthy and balanced.

The Chinese premier pointed out that since entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China has fulfilled its commitment.

He added that the EU should fulfill its obligations under Article 15 of the Protocol on China's accession to the WTO and thus send a signal that international rules should be respected and multilateral system protected.

According to Article 15, WTO members should have stopped using the surrogate country approach to conduct anti-dumping investigations on China by Dec. 11, 2016.

At the leaders' meeting, Tusk and Juncker acknowledged that preserving the current international system accords with the common interests of the EU and China, and those of the whole world, adding that global trading system should not be maintained in a selective approach.

China and the EU, two important players on the world stage, enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership. The EU is China's largest trading partner while China is the EU's second largest trading partner.

Solidarity on climate change

With Li's visit, China and the EU have demonstrated solidarity on climate change, Tusk told the joint press conference.

"Today we are stepping up our cooperation on climate change with China, which means that today China and Europe have demonstrated solidarity with future generations and responsibility for the whole planet," he said.

The EU side is willing to deepen cooperation on climate change and jointly implement the 2015 Paris Agreement, a landmark global pact to fight climate change, so as to bring benefits to the whole world, said Tusk and Juncker at the press conference.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had decided to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement.

During their talks, Li told the EU leaders that China will strengthen cooperation with the bloc on climate change and jointly work to implement the Paris climate deal, and the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Li's Brussels trip, which also included an official visit to Belgium, came after his official visit to Germany, where he attended the annual meeting between Chinese premier and German chancellor.

http://china.org.cn/world/2017-06/04/content_40960947.htm

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This thread is to pool China-EU related news and analyses.
 
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Chinese investments in EU - indispensable yet worrisome
China has been a major investor in Europe over the past decade, pumping money to buy a number of strategic and high-tech assets. But Chinese investments have caused both exultation and trepidation.

  • Date 01.06.2017
  • Author Srinivas Mazumdaru
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The European Union has been one of the most-favored investment destinations for China over the past decade, with Chinese firms channeling billions of euros every year to fund their acquisitions in the 28-nation bloc.

In 2016, Chinese FDI in the EU jumped 77 percent year-on-year to over 35 billion euros ($39 billion), according to a study by the Berlin-based think tank Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) and Rhodium Group. Germany was by far the biggest recipient, raking in over 31 percent - or more than 11 billion euros - of the investment.

The investments have drawn a lot of scrutiny and raised worries among some sections in Europe, leading to debates about long-term risks associated with Chinese state-backed deals.

1. Germany's Kuka

Some of China's high-profile takeovers in Europe in recent years include the acquisition of German robotics firm Kuka by China's Midea last year. The Chinese appliance giant's purchase of Kuka for 4.6 billion euros stoked concerns about the transfer of high-end sensitive technologies to the Chinese.

But the German government gave its approval to the deal, saying the takeover doesn't hurt Germany's national interests. Chinese companies have also bought German makers of concrete pumps and machine tools.

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2. A new 'Golden Era'

China is also a major investor in the UK. During Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in 2015, Xi and then British Prime Minister David Cameron inked numerous deals worth around 54.6 billion euros ($61.9 billion).

Among them was an accord facilitating Chinese funding and participation in a controversial nuclear project - the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant.

Beijing and London say they are hoping for a new "golden era" in their relationship as the UK prepares to leave the EU. China is one of the countries the UK hopes to sign a free trade agreement with after it leaves the EU.

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3. Right investments


Chinese firms have been scouring for investment opportunities in cash-strapped eurozone economies like Greece. Last year, China's state-controlled shipping company COSCO bought Greece's biggest port Piraeus for 368.5 million euros ($ 418.8 million). COSCO also promised to invest another 350 million euros in the port.

Τhe port is viewed as a gateway to Asia, eastern Europe and north Africa. It handled 16.8 million passengers and 3.6 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in 2014. But the sale prompted dockworkers to hold strikes in protest as they feared job losses.

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4. The biggest takeover

The biggest overseas acquisition by Chinese investors so far has been state-owned ChemChina's $43-billion (38 billion-euro) takeover of Swiss pesticide giant Syngenta.

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5. Gaining influence

China's investments are not limited to Western Europe. More attention has been showered on Central and Eastern European (CEE) nations as well. Last year, Premier Li Keqiang stressed Chinese interest in the region by announcing a new fund worth $11 billion to pump fresh capital into the region.

Beijing views the region as a gateway to larger Western European economies like Germany, France and the UK.

As part of this strategy, for instance, China last year signed an array of deals with the Czech Republic worth billions of euros. Chinese conglomerate CEFC has also acquired stakes in a Czech airline, a brewery, two media groups and a top football team.

Observers say Chinese investments and growing influence in CEE have hampered the EU's ability to take a unified stance on matters related to China.

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6. Cancelled deals

But an increasing number of Chinese foreign acquisitions are being cancelled due to a tightening of regulatory hurdles in Europe as well as in the US.

Last year, 30 deals worth about $75 billion had to be abandoned as a result of a regulatory crackdown and foreign exchange restrictions, according to a study conducted by law firm Baker McKenzie and Rhodium Group.

In Europe, 20 deals worth $16.3 billion were scrapped. Included among them was the proposed Chinese takeover of German chip equipment maker Aixtron for 670 million euros.

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7. Growing anxiety

The failed acquisitions reflect growing nervousness in Europe with regard to Chinese acquisitions of sensitive technologies. The EU has no body similar to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US to scrutinize and block foreign takeovers involving critical technologies.

The European side's frustration partly lies with the Sino-EU investment imbalance - the fact that Chinese investors spend much more on acquisitions in the EU than the other way round. They lament that China maintains an array of barriers that impede foreign investment and ownership in various sectors such as telecommunications, healthcare and logistics.

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8. Economic restructuring

China's plan to climb the advanced manufacturing ladder is another source of concern. The "Made in China 2025" strategy is aimed at moving the Chinese economy away from labor-intensive and low-value production toward higher value-added manufacturing in 10 key industries, including machine tools, robotics, railways, aerospace and information technology.

The plan underpins European concerns about Chinese takeover deals and the potential long-term impact of losing key industrial technologies to China. But observers say any EU-wide policies hindering Chinese investment into the bloc are unlikely. They point to the importance of the Chinese market for EU firms and the fact that many European nations view it as a key source of financing.

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http://www.dw.com/en/chinese-investments-in-eu-indispensable-yet-worrisome/a-39081907
 
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Poor Kuka. They have become a scapegoat, as well as the posterboy, of the "menacing Dragon's" fire breathing acquisition spree.

Maybe Dragon should consider an Opium War style opening up of Western markets.
 
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