Vice-Premeir Meets European Parliamentary DelegationVice-Permier Qian Qichen met Tuesday with Wim Van Velzem, Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP), and his delegation.Qian, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, had a cordial conversation with Velzem, who is also Vice-President of the European Parliament 's EPP Group. Qian that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU). Relations between the two sides have developed remarkably over the past years. Cooperation in political, economic, cultural and other areas has greatly improved as well. He said China and the EU signed an agreement on China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) not long ago, envisaging a broader prospect for Sino-EU relations. As long as the two sides approach their relations from a long- term perspective and pay more attention to shared and common interests, they can agree on major issues through dialogue, Qian said. Velzem said the purpose of the delegation's China visit is to strengthen contacts with China and increase mutual understanding between the two sides, and promote the further development of Sino- EU relations. Calling Sino-EU agreement on China's accession to the WTO an important event and a milestone in bilateral relations, he said this Sino-EU agreement will bring about enormous opportunities for both sides, and the European Parliament supports the agreement and will ratify it at an early date. The European Parliamentary delegation is visiting China at the invitation of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. |
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