China and the European Union declared here on Wednesday the official launch of talks on the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

The announcement was made at a joint press conference held by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and visiting EU Commissioner for External Relations and Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner after their meeting.

The pact will "provide a comprehensive basis covering the whole range of the political, economic and trade relationship between China and the European Union," Waldner said at the press conference.

She told reporters that the new agreement will cover 22 sectors, including energy, environment, agriculture, transport, customs, education, information society, science and technology, space cooperation, research and development, as well as some key issues such as sustainable development, migration, and some international challenges including international terrorism and the fight against it, and weapons of mass destruction.

In September 2006, the EU and China agreed in Helsinki to launch the talks on the new generation agreement, or Partnership Cooperation Agreement aimed to update the 1985 Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement, which currently constitutes the legal basis governing EU-China relations.

Source: Xinhua