Getting real about EU-China relations
- By Jiang Shixue
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 21, 2013
On a recent three-month trip to Brussels conducting academic research, I began ruminating on the nature of Chinese-EU relations. I had considered titling this piece "From Brussels with Love"; however in light of the James Bond called "From Russia with Love", I feared the opprobrium of those who might accuse me of breaching intellectual property rights (IPR).
In light of the frequency with which Chinese companies are accused of violating IPR by European firms, the fear was more than a fleeting one. Along with this fear of being unoriginal, I began to feel a creeping sense of overall disappointment as my trip drew to a close.
I was not disappointed by the weather, because, as the jokes goes, if you don't like snow, rain, sleet or drizzle, just wait for five minutes.
I was not disappointed language-wise, despite the fact that sometimes I felt like an illiterate or uneducated professor due to my inability to learn French or Dutch, despite the fact that these two languages seem to eclipse English in importance in Brussels, the "Capital of Europe".
Nor am I disappointed with the fact that almost no one clears the snow from the side-walks, even in the downtown areas. In Beijing, however, many people would go out to sweep away the snow.
My four disappointments stem from how China appears to be perceived among Europeans. So, let's get specific:
Disappointment number one: lack of gratitude
I feel sure that, from former Premier Wen Jiabao and the current Premier Li Keqiang to a small potato like me, every Chinese believes that Europeans should be grateful to China for its part in helping the EU deal with the debt crisis. Such help has included the purchasing of bonds; making direct investment in the EU so that jobs can be created to reduce the pain of austerity in EU countries; importing more from the EU, for the same purpose and increasing contributions to the IMF, which is an important part of the "troika" saving Greece, Ireland and Portugal, about which I wrote an English-language working paper.
It seems, however, that most people I talked to in Brussels were not prepared to thank China. Some claimed that China was all words and no deeds when it came to helping the EU. Others postulated that instead of trying to save the EU, China was merely pursuing its own agenda of raising its share in the IMF; still others told me that the EU does not need China's help at all as its current account is in surplus, meaning that there is no shortage of capital in the EU.
Disappointment number 2: No automatic market economy status in 2016
When China joined the WTO, it was agreed that there would be a grace period of 15 years for China to gain automatically market economy status (MES) in 2016. Every Chinese citizen believes that this will definitely happen.
It was reported that Wen Jiabao greatly regrets the fact that his decade-long effort to persuade the EU to recognize China's MES before 2016 proved unsuccessful.
To my disappointment, my conversations with a wide range of people in Brussels led me to conclude that the EU is unlikely to grant China MES before 2016 and, even worse, will not automatically recognize the MES of China even in 2016. "Don't expect to wake up in 2016 and discover that China finally has MES," one European friend told me.
The reason for this is because the EU needs the agreement of 28 (or more by 2016) member states as well as the assent of the European Parliament.
In Brussels I even read a web article which argued that China has misunderstood the meaning of the WTO agreement signed in 2001. According to the author of this article, WTO rules do not guarantee that China would automatically get MES in 2016.
That is why I strongly suggested at a seminar on China-EU relations in Brussels, at which I was invited to speak, that Chinese citizens, especially those who work for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, must master the English language, otherwise we risk jeopardizing matters of national importance.
Disappointment number 3: Poor understanding of China
Before I came to Brussels I knew that many Europeans have deep-rooted misconceptions, misunderstandings and misjudgments about China. My three-month stay in Brussels has confirmed and deepened this conviction. Some people I met in Brussels do not know that China has nine political parties. They do not understand that the nature of its political system is not one-party rule, but multi-party cooperation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
European people always raise the question of Tibet, but fail to understand that, for more than 700 years, the central government of China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet, and that Tibet has never been an independent state.
Many people criticize China's policy towards its neighbors, but refuse to acknowledge that Japan has failed to recognize its war crimes against many Asian nations. Many also know little or nothing about the history of the Diaoyu Islands.
But I must add that many of the Europeans I have met are genuinely -- and positively -- concerned about the future of China. They suggest that China's new leadership must pay more attention to such issues as environmental pollution, corruption and social problems. They argue that a better China is in the EU's interests.
Disappointment number 4: No strategic partnership at present
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU. Indeed, bilateral relations between the two sides have made rapid progress. It is said that there are 88 different areas of cooperation between the two sides. Every day two-way trade accounts for $1.5 billion. This is truly a significant sum.
Whenever you go to the Grand Place (in French) or Grote Markt (in Dutch) in the center of Brussels or the nearby Manneken Pis, you will see lots of Chinese tourists, who will then go shopping to buy a whole host of products, stimulating the local economy. Without good relations between China and the EU, it would not be so easy for Chinese tourists to visit Europe and purchase European goods.
In China, although many people are upset by the EU's frequent use of anti-dumping against Chinese products, its refusal to recognize China's MES and the long-standing arms embargo, they sincerely believe that China-EU relations represent a real strategic partnership. If I may use a metaphor, this kind of strategic partnership is akin to a political marriage certificate and many Chinese value it wholeheartedly.
However, many Europeans I met in Brussels, including some very good scholars, tend to downplay the importance of this partnership. They say that this partnership does not reflect the current reality but is instead more of a long-term objective. Some even hint that only the U.S., Canada and Japan can be the EU's genuine strategic partners.
Life is not perfect and the same is true for any bilateral relationship. But the EU must surely take its strategic partnership with China more seriously, despite the long-standing problems and obstacles. Only then can mutual and beneficial long-term and short-term goals be realized; and temporary disappointments abated.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://china.org.cn/opinion/jiangshixue.htm
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