EU-China to Combine Forces on Investments + Science/Innovation + Earth/Nature protection

*Brussels/EU-China Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/-"Combine" strategic Investment Plans with Synergy, and Boost Science, Education and Technology cooperation, Advancing with concrete programs in a vast area going from Legal Affairs, up to Earth observation and Natural Environment protection, (etc), seems to be a main characteristic of the 2015 EU - China Summit's decisions, Today in Brussels, according to a Press Conference of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, together with the new Presidents of EU Council, Donald Tusk, and of EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, both former Prime Ministers, respectively, of Poland and Luxembourg, further corroborated, later-on, by the Official Joint-Statement published at the Conclusion of a Leaders' meeting, followed by a Plenary Session, a Signature ceremony, and an important Working Diner on various key and Topical issues, (Comp. Also other "EuroFora"s NewsReports on this Multifacet Summit, f.ex., at : .......).

    Opening that Top Meeting in Brussels, almost at the eve of Beijing's forthcoming rotating Chairmanship of the "G20" Heads of State/Governments' Summit, Next Year (2016), President Tusk - observed from the outset, speaking, earlier this Afternoon, to Journalists present here, including "EuroFora", that this is "the 1st (ever) Press Conference of an EU - China Summit in Brussels !".

 (By a coincidence, it also fulfilled a wish expressed earlier by "EuroFora" to an experienced EU Council Press Service's Agent, for an EU - China Press point to be hopefully held, as a crucial moment for our Decision to stay, or not, in Brussels 3 Days after the latest EU Summit : He had, then, strongly supported the view that such an interactive meeting with the Press should and would be, indeed, held now, according to his opinion too, and this had finaly become True !)...
--------------------------------

    At this 40th Anniversary of EU - China Diplomatic Relations (1975-2015), it's important both to "Deepen practical Cooperation", and to "Find New Points to make Breakthroughs", stressed from the outset, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, speaking to Journalists in Brussels, including "EuroFora".

    A "1st" point is to "Keep the Strategic Direction, for Long-Term and Stable Development of EU - China relations, and Continue along converged Interests, ... jointly advocate Peace, Development, Openess, Inclusiveness, and a Win-Win Cooperation". While also, concerning "Future Developments", we are "convinced that there are not only in a Long-term, Stable and Sound Development, but additional "New Levels" to be attained, he optimisticaly and voluntarily pointed out.

    >>> In fact, it's also "Important to Open a NEW HORIZON of practical Cooperation, which can be "centered on the EU - proposed Strategic Investment Plan" of President Juncker, Li observed, evoking some "in Depth Discussions" between EU and China in 2015 on that purpose :

    - The Chinese side is of the view that it's not only about "Sale and Buy" (i.e. Traditional Trade), but we should also expand now "Mutual Investments", even "Joint Investment", as he explained.

    This could be done "in Multiple Ways" : "F.ex. by Estabishiung an EU - China Joint Investment Fund, as well as some Internatinal Platforms for Research and

Development, (etc), in order also to ensure that the EU 315 € Billions Plan, drafted by President Juncker, can have Resources, and can be Implemented, Li suggested.

    In this regard, "the Chinese side made Proposals for a Global Cooperation with the EU, encompassing also the Production Capacities  : F.ex. to use the Chinese Capacity of Production, of a Meadow Level, by Combining that with EU's High-Tech. know-how, for the Needs of Developing, 3rd Countries, as he described it.

    It's "in this connection" that "Specific Discussions, on this point, will be carried out", the Chinese Prime Minister revealed.

--------------------

    + But, precisely, in order to "Accelerate Dialogue, Exchange and Cooperation" in "Many Areas", "We (EU and China) are also going to Establish a "Legal affairs" dialogue Mechanism, so that we can have More Understanding and Knowledge of each other", Li also Anounced.

    This is added from 2015 to "Personal Exchanges"' facilitation, and to the "Promotion of Global Public Goods", such as "Peace and Stability", Climate Change protection, etc., anod various other Areas where "this (2015) EU Summit can serve as a New Starting point", in order "both to Excel, Transcend and Open up NEW CHANNELS for EU - China ns", he concluded energeticaly.

---------- ----------------------------

    - "China is EU's most Important Partner", particularly in Economy, acknoledhed from the outset new EU Council's President Donald Tusk, seing a "Stronger Relationship" in 2015, with "Investment" cited as No 1 among "our agreed Priorities" in a "Strengthened Agenda which frames our relations", as he said, focusing, for the rest, mainly on EU - China "Common Strategic Interests" for a "Common" stance "on some Global Challenges that we have to Face Together", (Comp. also : .....).

----------------------------------------------

 
    - Declaring himself clearly "in favour of having Better Connections between China and Europe in all aspects", New EU Commission's President, Jean-Claude Juncker, also placed "Investments" at the "1st" place :

    - "We Agreed that China and EU could now Bring Together Know-How, Resources, and other Strength, to make sure that they Both Succeed", he Anounced.

    - "As a 1st Step, a Connectivity Platform .... will allow us to COMBINE FORCES, Unite Expetrise and Strength of our Compagnies, to develop .. Infrastructures, Jobs in Europe and China, and Bridges between our Continents along the old "Silk Road"", Juncker highlighted in this regard.

     - In particular, "on EU side, we have the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), where of course China is Welcome to Invest", he ensured at least.

    => + Morever, EU Commission's "Vice-President (for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness) Katainen will Visit Beijing about the End of September (2015), and more Detailed Negotiations will take place when the vP. will be in China" on this Key issue, Juncker anounced.

    - Meanwhile, "it's not the Time now to discuss Technical Details", because "they 'll be discussed when the vP. will be in China", he simply replied to a Collegue's Question on the particular "Areas" in which EU is more Interested, (apparently leaving Room to Negotiations, protected by Discrete moves)...

    ++ However, on the Chinese side, there must be another playing field for EU Investors", he wished : "We have roughly Begun Working on this, and we must continue our Negotiations for a Compregensive Agreemet on Investment", EU Commission's President pointed out on practical conditions.

    >>> At any case, "on ..more Far-Reaching" questions "in the next 10 Years.. I'd like to see China and the EU Moving Closer Together", because "We have to Share Ambitions for the World", President Juncker concluded later-on.

    - "This will be done in the Various Areas of our Cooperation", he simplified in fine, indirzectly but surely pointing at the 2 very Comprehensive Files published later Today, at the Conclusion of the EU - China Summit, both in an Official, common "Joint Statement", as well as an EU Commission's Syntheris :

--------------------------------------

    Indeed, right at the 1st rank among "Priorities" which were "Agreed at this Summit" in order to "reinforce their bilateral Cooperation and enhance the Global dimension of their Strategic Partnership", EU and China placed on 2015 mainly "Investment" issues, as reveals Brussels Summit's "Joint Statement" :
    
    - "Both sides confirmed their Strong Interest in each other's flagship Initiatives, namely the Investment Plan for Europe (drafted by President Juncker), and the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” (The "Belt and Road" Initiative", to which referred earlier Prime Minister Li : Comp. Supra), that Official Text anounced.
    
    - In particular, EU and China "Leaders Decided to support Synergies between these initiatives" , and directed the EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in September to "develop Practical Avenues  for ....Co-operation, (mainly during the "September" 2015 "EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue",  including through "a possible China-EU Co-Investment vehicle", (as Prime Minister Li had suggested earlier : Com^p. Supra).
    
    => In this Framework, f.ex., "EU and China Agreed to improve their Infrastructure Links", particularly by "Establishing a new Connectivity Platform", to "promote seamless Traffic flows and Transport Facilitation", with "Synergies between their relevant initiatives" (Comp. Supra), "Co-operation opportunities between their ...sources of Funding", and "a favourable environment for ...Cross-Border infrastructure Networks in countries and regions between the EU and China",
while also "looking forward to (EU) Cooperation with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)", which has just been agreed, with the support also of the EU.

    That's one reason more for which "EU and China view the ongoing investment Agreement Negotiations as one of the most Important issues", because it "shall include Investment Protection, Market Access and other elements Facilitating Investment". Therefore, "efforts must be Intensified" for "a joint Text by the End of 2015", the Conclusion of which, will allow "to envisage Broader Ambitions, including ... a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), at a "longer term", the Summit's conclusions add.

    - "Trade between China and the EU is worth more than €1 Billion every Day. Today, we form the Second-largest economic cooperation in the World. Bilateral trade in goods reached € 467.2 billion in 2014", pointed out EU Commission in a parallel Press Release on the Summit.

-------------------------------------
+ Research and Innovation
----------------------------------------

    + Most Important, in this  Context, EU and China also "Agreed ro Set up a Mechanism for Joint Financing (Scientific/Technological) Research and Innovation Projects, in Areas of Mutual Interest", as well as to "promote ... Access to the EU and China's respective Research and Innovation Funding programs", (as "Horizon 2020" for the EU), anounces the Official Joint Statement published Today in Brussels.

    ++ Moreover, the two sides also "Agreed to work together to Harness each other’s comparative Advantages in such areas as Innovation policy, Mobility and Training of Researchers, Commercialisation of R&D results, Technology Dissemination and Sharing of Research Facilities and ..conditions for innovation".
    
    This was done after a "High Level Innovation Cooperation Dialogue, held in the Margins of the Summit", earlier Today in Brussels, where Political "Leaders reaffirmed the importance of cooperation in . .. Research and Innovation, as a Driver for economic and social development, and a Key element of EU-China relations".

    The moves were coordinated by EU Commissioner for Science, Reearch and Innovation, Carlos Moedas (from Spain), and Chinese Minister for Science and Technology, Can Gang, who also Signed an Agreement to Facilitate Young Chinese Scientists, supported by the Country's National Foundation for Natural Sciences (NSFC), to join projects Funded by the European Research Council (ERC), and vice versa, with the First Exchanges expected between Autumn 2015 and Summer 2016, according to EU Commission's data. (Until now, similar Agreements existed only between the EU and USA, Argentina, Japan and South Korea).

-------------------------------------------------------

    >>> Even more Important, potentialy, a New arrangement for Collaborative Research, between EU Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute for Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, (CAS-RADI), concluded Today in Brussels, is expected to Boost EU - China Cooperation on addressing Global Challenges in areas of recently growing importance, such as f.ex., Climate action, Disaster Risk Reduction, Natural Environment Protection and sustainable development, etc.

    China is World famous for having actively promoted UNO's International Treaty against any "Hostile Modification of Natural Environment, such as f.ex. EarthQuakes, Heatwaves, Floods, etc (ENMOD), which was adôpted and entered into force shortly after the End of Vietnam War, in the Second Half of the 1970ies, and has also made several Spectacular Attempts to Positively Modify the Environment, f.ex. by reportedly succeeding to Divert Rain away from the 2008 Olympic Games' stadium Opening Ceremony at Beijing...
    
    But, particularly since the exceptionaly Deadly, Giant 2003 Heatwave which killed more than 30.000 People in France, etc., and even Threatened the Energy Autonomy of the Country, by seriously Diminishing Rivers' Water flows necessary for French Nuclear Reactors' Power Plants, as well as the 2010 unprecedented Killer Heatwave and Fires which badly hit Russia and Kazakstan's most important Central Areas (Moscow included), added to a long Series of Giant Killer Mudslides in China, Floods in Germany, and/or the 2005 "Katrina" Harricane which Devastated Luisiana in the USA (etc), together with the 2004 Deadly Tsunami between Sumatra and India, the 2011 Haiti Destructive Earthquake, and Japan's 2013 "Fukusima" Nuclear Plant crash by another unprecedented Giant Tsunami at the Pacific Ocean, which notoriously had a very Important Impact also against Nuclear Energy policies in Germany, Italy and other EU Countries, (etc), such so-called "Extreme Weather Events" (EWE) have been Recently Growing throughout the whole World, both in Intensity and in Frequency, as well as in the Volume of Destructions and Deaths provoked.
    
    For all these reasons, the Need for reliable International Cooperation, as between EU and China, in Scientific Research and Technology allowing to prevent, predict,  face and alleviate or repair such Natural/Man-made Disasters' impact on Human beings and whole Societies, has become obvious Today. As for the fact that the Chinese Government is fully Aware of the crucial Importance it has to efficiently and timely develop such an International Cooperation on the Protection of Natural Environment, and Willing to do so, this was Confirmed, inter alia, also by the crystal clear Replies of a China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman to relevant "EuroFora"s Questions at the end of a Press Conference organized during the 2011 "G20" Heads of State/Government Summit in Cannes, (Comp., f.ex. : ...).

-----------------------------------------

    Similar moves extend also to "the Deepening of the EU-China Urbanisation Partnership", .. in urban Planning and design, public Services, "Green" Buildings and "Smart" Transportation". In this regard, they "Agreed to launch new Joint Programmes involving Chinese and EU Cities and Companies", but also "dialogue on Regional Policies,....Expanding the scope of Regions, ...Twinning", etc.  F.ex.,  - "Brussels is a Green City also by its Traditional "Green areas" located at the Heart of almost every Block of Buildings, with several Big Trees, etc, observed on this occasion an EU Officer to "EuroFora", (who has, indeed, had several occasions, during many Years of Visits at EU Summits and/or other events here, inevitably staying at Various Hotels or Flats accross the City, that it has, indeeed, such an Original, Historic system of Trees regularly preserved at Building Blocks' central areas, helping to provide Oxygen, shade and Fresh Air to the Inhabitants, in a so Simple way....

    In this regard, another Joint Statement on "Deepening EU - China Regional Policy Cooperation", was also Signed on the sidelines of this 2015 Summit, which is Focusing on "Innovation and Urban Development, with Direct Exchanges between Regions and Cities" from both sides, according to an EU Commission's Press Release.

------------------------------------------
+=> Comparative LAW
-------------------------------------------
-
    + Last, but not least, such envisaged extensions and deepening of manifold EU - China Cooperations (Comp. Supra), inevitably make it "Necessary to (also) deepen Understanding of each other's Legal Systems", so that, this 2015 Summit "Agreed to establish an EU - China  Legal affairs Dialogue, for Policy Exchanges, mutual Learning, and Cooperation in Legal" questions, Today'"s "Joint Statement" adds, as far as Comparative Law Studies are concerned, which apparently promisse to be quite Interesting.

(.../...)

------------------------------------------------------

***

("DraftNews", as already send, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version, might be Published asap).

***