Chinese and European Union leaders agreed Wednesday in their seventh annual summit to promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides.

The agreement was reached during the talks between visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and EU leaders represented by Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and Secretary General for the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana.

"The China-EU relationship has witnessed a significant development since the comprehensive strategic partnership was built last year," said Premier Wen, noting that the two sides should explore the feasibility of concluding a new China-EU framework agreement.

For this purpose, the Chinese premier proposed that the two sides should keep frequent high-level visits, strengthen strategic dialogue, and continue consultation and coordination on the reform of the United Nations, the fight against terrorism, the prevention of nuclear proliferation, the settlement of regional conflicts and the issue of development.

He said that as China has set up a high-level coordination group to implement the agreements and understanding reached between leaders of the two sides and to enrich the contents of their comprehensive strategic partnership, the EU side should also establish a corresponding high-level body so as to jointly work out plans for the development of bilateral relations.

China and the EU should expand the scale of their mutual trade and investment, the Chinese premier said. In particular, the two sides should promote trade in technology and encourage two-way investments so that they can become each other's largest trade partner as early as possible.

The Chinese premier said that China and the EU should also boost cooperation in the fields of environmental protection, information, transport and energy, and especially in the areas of clean energy, renewable energy and energy-related environmental protection.

In addition, the Chinese premier proposed that the two sides should further promote cultural and educational exchanges and contemplate concluding a new generation of cooperation agreements.

During the talks, the Chinese premier also urged the EU to lift its arms embargo on China and recognize China's status as a full market economy.

Balkenende, the Dutch Prime Minister whose country is holding the rotating presidency of the EU, regarded Wen's suggestions as being constructive and significant, saying "China now is one of the main partners of the EU and the strategic partnership is maturing."

Both Balkenende and Barroso confirmed the EU's political will to continue working toward lifting the embargo on China, saying the EU will establish a working group to seek a practical solution to this issue.

After their talks, Wen and the EU leaders attended the signing ceremony of several agreements between China and the EU, including the Joint Declaration on Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, the EU-China Customs Cooperation Agreement and the Agreement on Research and Development Cooperation on the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy.