EU and China: 50 Years of Diplomatic Relations

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the European Union. The Chinese press has remembered the occasion in several articles.

According to the Xinhua news agency’s summary, shared by the Chinese Embassy in Budapest, the most valuable experience of the 50-year history of China-EU relations is mutual respect and seeking common ground while shelving differences. “The development of bilateral relations and remarkable achievements in various sectors over the past half century are, without exception, made by both sides on the basis of respecting each other's development path and social system and overcoming differences in history and culture.”

An online article by the People's Daily, the author recalls that half a century ago, then Premier Zhou Enlai met with Sir Christopher Soames, Vice President of the European Economic Community (EEC) Commission. Together, they announced the formal establishment of diplomatic ties – a historic step that helped reshape international relations in the latter half of the 20th century.

The China Daily Global writes that over the past five decades, both the EU and China have undergone remarkable transformations. The EU has expanded and integrated, bringing together 27 member states under a shared vision of peace, democracy and prosperity. “China has emerged as the world's second-largest economy, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of abject poverty and become a central player in global affairs. Between the EU and China, a robust and mutually beneficial relationship has developed. Trade has grown exponentially, and people-to-people exchanges – through tourism, education and culture – have reached unprecedented levels.”

At the Policy Dialogue Roundtable held on the anniversary, Henry Huiyao Wang, Founder and President, Center for China and Globalization (CCG) was of the view that “today, as we engage in dialogue, the shared goal is clear: to promote pragmatic cooperation, overcome geopolitical uncertainties, and jointly uphold and develop a rule-based international order that benefits both China and Europe – and, of course, indeed, a wider world.”