Baroness Catherine Ashton, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, will visit China from April 25 to 28 at the invitation of Wang Yi, China's foreign minister.

Spain's new ambassador to China, Manuel Valencia Alonso, opened an embassy-sponsored exhibition, From Picasso to Barcel. Spanish Sculpture of the 20th Century, at the National Art Museum of China on April 22. The exhibition, which runs until June 30, features work of more than two dozen artists, including Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro, and shows the development of 20th-century Spanish sculpture from the aesthetic breakaway of the first avant-garde trends to the present day. Alonso didn't have a chance to enjoy all of the opening festivities, however. After his speech, he left the museum to meet China's President Xi Jinping to formally present his credentials.

Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming told the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London that, "China wants to realize its dream of economic growth, national revival and the contented life of its people." Quoting an ancient Chinese saying - "When a bird's nest is overturned, no egg can survive" - he added that to realize this dream China must strive to create an external environment of lasting peace and stability. "Without peace, neither China nor the world can achieve its development goals," he said last week, noting that, "today's world is far from being tranquil".

The EU Delegation to China hosted the annual general meeting and the elections of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China on April 24. In his capacity of honorary president, Ambassador Markus Ederer welcomed around 100 EUCCC voting corporate members and delegated the conduct of the election to Christophe Besse, first counselor and head of the trade and investment section of the EU delegation. The chamber's president, Davide Cucino, was re-elected for a third term.

A healthcare delegation headed by Swedish Minister for Health and Social Affairs Goran Hagglund left China last week after the minister met with his Chinese counterpart at the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Li Bin, and attended a Sino-Swedish seminar on value-based health care in Beijing.

French Ambassador to China Sylvie Bermann and EU Deputy Head of Mission Carmen Cano met with European researchers at the French embassy on April 18. In their speeches, both emphasized the importance of increasing research exchanges and collaborations between Europe and China. More than 100 researchers from Europe and China took part in the workshop and reception as part of the EU's "Euraxess Links China" initiative that helps to foster connections between European and Chinese researchers based in China.

The Norwegian embassy hosted about 30 students from Beijing International Studies University on April 17 for a briefing on the Scandinavian nation and its foreign policy. Four selected embassy staff introduced their fields, which covered science education, politics, development and press culture. Afterward, the embassy hosted a reception for the students at the residents of Ambassador Svein O. Saether.

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(China Daily 04/26/2013 page31)