Distinguished Chairman Rivellini,

Dear friends,

I am pleased to have this opportunity to communicate with the new Delegation for Relations with China. You come from major political groups and different member states. Some may have been to China, but perhaps for more people, China and China-EU relations is a quite new area of knowledge. In this sense, the Delegation for Relations with China is a microcosm of different views among European people towards China and China-EU relations. That is why I am very willing to exchange views with you. I hope that through our joint efforts, we can put up a bridge of understanding, friendship and cooperation between the peoples of China and Europe.

Eleven days ago, China celebrated the 60th anniversary of the birth of the PRC. 60 years is perhaps a blink of an eye in the long river of history, but for China, this is a period of tremendous change and brilliant achievements. David Shambaugh, Director of China Policy Program at George Washington University wrote an article for Times Magazine (Asia) on 28, September entitled China at 60: The Road to Prosperity. He writes: As the People's Republic of China commemorates its 60th anniversary, it seemingly has much to celebrate. China is the world's most populous and industrious nation, is the world's third largest economy and trading nation, has become a global innovator in science and technology. It has an increasingly modern military and commands diplomatic respect. It is at peace with its neighbors and all major powers.

I am very willing to share with you here some other figures:

China lifted more than 250 million people out of poverty, and contributes to two-thirds of the total reduction in world's poorest population.

With less than 9 percent of the world's arable land, China feeds nearly 21 percent of the world's population.

30 years ago, China did not have any product line for television or other home appliance. Today, China's manufacturing industry accounts for more than 9% of world manufacturing industry. All over the world, 80% of small appliances, 70% of the DVD, 50% of phones, and more than one third of TV are made in China.

China's railway mileage was only 21, 800 kilometers in 1949. In 2008 it increased to 80,000 kilometers. Highway mileage started from zero to 60,300 kilometers, ranking second in the world.

60 years ago, over 80% of Chinese people are illiterate, and there were only 20,000 university students. Today, China's illiteracy rate has dropped to around 3%. 82 million workforce hold college degrees.

China's average life expectancy increased from 35 years before 1949 to 73 years. Infant mortality ratio dropped from 200 out of one thousand to 15.3 out of one thousand. The number of doctors and the number of hospital beds per thousand population rank in the mid to upper place among developing countries.

But China has worked much more miracles than all of these. As I said to many European friends, people would often take notice of China's economic miracle only, while ignoring the huge progress China has made in political and social dimension and in the building of democracy and rule of law. Over the 60 years, China has explored and formed various forms to practice its democracy. This includes the people's congress system, the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system and the grass-roots mass self-government system. All of them provide effective ways for the Chinese people to exercise their rights to be masters and make decisions. In China's countryside, direct election of village committees is generally practised, and on average the election turnout is around 80%. The socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics has basically taken shape. Major progress has been made to advance government administration according to law and to improve the judicial system. Chinese Constitution stipulates human rights protection. The right of survival and development, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as civil rights and political rights have achieved unprecedented development. Professor Li Junru, the well-known expert on political science, rightly pointed out that the founding of new China in 1949 and reform and opening up in 1978 represented two major human rights liberation in China's history. David Shambaugh supported his view, saying that he witnessed the dramatic blossoming of personal freedoms.

If we say that 60 years of progress in new China is a moment in the book of history running for five thousand years, then the development of China-EU relations over these 60 years is a brilliant chapter in the two thousand years of interaction between China and Europe. Here, I would like to review, together with you, the key episodes and years in that relationship, to capture the sequence and veins of China-EU relations.

In 1949, New China was founded. For the first time since the Opium War in the 1840s, China was developing relations with Europe on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

In 1975, China and the European Community formally established diplomatic relations. With a bi-polar world where the US and the Soviet Union vied for hegemony, both China and the EU had strong desire to maintain peace and both regarded each other as its important partner to seek strength. On May 6, 1975, Vice President Soames of the European Commission visited China. His meeting with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who was very ill at the time, was historic because of the strategic decision to establish diplomatic relations between the two sides. This historic photo is in the central hall of the premise of the Chinese mission. It is a witness to history and to the wisdom and foresight of EU leaders. I welcome you to take an opportunity to visit the Chinese mission and see the picture. In 1998, China and the EU held their first summit meeting in London and decided to establish a constructive partnership oriented towards the 21st century. Also in that year, the EU made an official decision not to table or co-sponsor resolutions against China at the United Nations Human Rights Committee, thus establishing the policy of dialogue rather than confrontation over human rights issue with China.

In 2003, China and the EU established comprehensive strategic partnership. That year, the EU published its first strategic security report, which placed China together with the United States, Russia, India and Canada as a strategic partner. The EU published its 5th China policy document since 1995, namely title="A Maturing Partnership: shared interests and challenges in EU-China relations"A Maturing Partnership: shared interests and challenges in EU-China relations. In October, China issued its policy paper towards Europe. That was the first time for the Chinese government to issue a policy paper over a specific region. The same in Beijing, during the sixth China-EU summit, the two sides formally announced the establishment of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

Sixty years have passed with time fleeting away. China-EU relations have withstood the test of international vicissitudes, traversed a brilliant course of development and is proves itself to be a strong relationship. Today, an all-round, wide-ranging and multi-level cooperation pattern has already taken shape between China and the EU.

Politically, the two sides have established political dialogue and consultation mechanisms at all levels from those between leaders, foreign ministers to sectoral dialog. The two sides have frequent mutual high-level visits, mutual political trust continues to increase, and the two sides conduct increasingly close coordination and cooperation over major international and regional issues. China and the EU have become indispensable and major partners of each other when it comes to tackle climate change, international financial crisis and global issues, and they represent two important forces to influence the evolution of the international situation and promote the development of multi-polarization. Economically, China and the EU have increasing overlapping interests. When China-EU diplomatic relationship was established, bilateral trade volume was only 2.4 billion U.S. dollars. In 2008, this figure reached 425.6 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 176 times. The EU has become China's largest trading partner, the largest source of imports, export market and supplier of technology. China is the EU's second largest trading partner and fastest growing export market. Despite the international financial crisis, the first 8 months of this year, China's imports from the European Union fell by only 11.4%, which was far below the average decrease of 22.7% of China's overall trade in the same period of time. China-EU cultural exchanges are booming. Cooperation in various fields continues to expand. Dialogue and cooperation between the two sides cover more than 50 fields such as science and technology, education, culture, language, energy, environmental protection, transportation, health, finance and tourism. Presently, about 200,000 Chinese students are studying in the EU, more than 150,000 EU citizens are working in China. Every year, more than 1 million Chinese tourists visit Europe, and more and more Europeans prefer to study, do business and work in China as their first choice. A few days ago, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited Belgium and attended the opening ceremony of "Europalia-China Art Festival". This marks a new level of China-EU cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. In review of the course of development over the past 60 years, every step forward and achievement in China-EU relations come with the joint efforts of both sides. And all of them have brought tangible benefits to the people of China and the EU, and to the whole world. Today's success would be hard to imagine in the early years of our diplomatic relations. It has proven that China-EU relations have great potential and bright prospects. As Vice-President Xi stated in the meeting with President Barroso a few days ago, the good cooperation between China and Europe today is yet another starting point of even closer mutually beneficial cooperation in the future. Of course, no bilateral relations will be completely plain sailing. Due to differences in culture, history, traditions, social system, and different levels of economic development, it is inevitable that China and EU have different views and even frictions, on certain issues. However, experience has shown, that as long as we treat each other with mutual respect and mutual trust, conduct equal consultation, seek common ground, and uphold the overall interests of China-EU relations, as long as we respect each other's major concern and appropriately resolve differences through dialogue rather than confrontation, China-EU relations will surely move forward in a healthy and stable way. Friends! History seems to prove that the destiny of China and the EU are always so closely linked to each other. 60 years ago, New China was founded and the Chinese people rose to their feet. It was also 60 years ago that the European Commission was established and called for the creation of the European Steel Community, which set the stage for the later Schuman Plan, and the European integration process. Since then, the European People have left the wars behind.

Today, the Chinese people are confident on their way to modernization, which will basically realize by the centenary anniversary of new China. By that time China will be a prosperous, democratic, civilized, and harmonious, modern and socialist country. Also today, Europe has embraced a historic moment to ratify the Lisbon Treaty and implement. As the international situation undergoes complex and profound changes, and as China and the EU both enter an important period of their development, China-EU relations have, accordingly, been placed in a critical period build on the past and leads into the future. This is a new historical starting point. Our responsibility is to rise to the occasion, continue to take a strategic and long-term perspective to consider and handle China-EU relations. In this way, the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership will bear more fruit and benefit more the Chinese and European peoples and the whole world.

Dear friends! As I mentioned, the Delegation for Relations with China of European Parliament, is a microcosm of Europe's perception of China and of China-EU relations. Your delegation carries a special and important mission to advance China-EU relations, particularly to enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust and expand the people-to-people basis for China-EU relations. I know that here understanding about China may vary, but I wish to emphasize the need to avoid listening or believing only one view. Jean Monnet lived in China for three years. He said, on China, it is necessary to be modest and resist the temptation to make conclusion. Tony Blair says, ignorance and fear of China will steadily decline as the reality of modern China becomes more apparent.

I am very pleased that Chairman Rivellini will soon head the bureau of your delegation to visit China. Although you will not do the same as Monnet to live for some time in China, I am this trip will bring an open, progressive and dynamic China to you. I sincerely welcome more members and friends in the European Parliament to go to China and look around. Myself and the Chinese Mission to the EU are willing to provide all necessary facilities for you to know and understand China.

Thank you.