EU President Herman Van Rompuy called yesterday for a level playing field in commerce between China and Europe, warning that the European public could turn to protectionism if they felt China wasn’t playing fair.
Van Rompuy also said China’s global reputation could be harmed by its negative record on human rights, although he made no direct mention of recent cases of repression, including the detention of famed artist and government critic Ai Weiwei (艾未未).
“A level playing field for trade and investment is key,” Van Rompuy said in a speech to communist officials at the party’s national training center in Beijing.
Photo: EPA
A nation’s people must feel they have a fair chance of winning business abroad to offset that lost through international competition, or else “populism and protectionism loom,” he said.
The 27-nation EU is China’s largest export market, but European firms have been battered by low-cost Chinese textiles, leatherwear and other goods. Meanwhile, European companies, along with other foreign firms, have complained of regulatory barriers hindering their ability to compete freely in China. China’s currency controls, which help boost Chinese exports, are also an irritant in relations with other countries.
Van Rompuy said the sides had a healthy dialogue on reducing impediments and said he expected further progress to result from discussions at an upcoming EU-China summit.
“The most important thing is that we go forward, that we make progress, that we make rules and implement them not only at the central level, but also at the local level,” he said. “And I’m quite sure that ... we will discuss it in an open way and that we will take sufficient initiatives to achieve that level playing field.”
Van Rompuy said he was heartened by China’s latest five-year plan for development, which envisions shifting the economy away from exports and investment and toward increased reliance on domestic demand, eventually reducing and possibly eliminating its trade surplus and other imbalances.
Van Rompuy stressed the central importance of human rights in the EU’s foreign policy and called on China to honor international rights covenants it has signed.
“This work is among the core values the European Union is build on. It is of deep concern for European citizens and it is reflected in our diplomacy across the world,” he said.
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