Schulz would also like to see a more engaging and responsible foreign policy on the part of China.

"I am concerned by the increasing tensions in the neighborhood, especially the East and South China seas. I see China's diplomatic rise not as a threat, but as an opportunity. Yet stability can only come from concerted solutions. More can be done to seek compromise in the region."

Unlike some, Schulz, whose term as Parliament president runs until elections in May, views Chinese economic might as an opportunity, not a threat to Europe.

"This has driven hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It has empowered citizens and it has also created a new class of consumers," says Schulz, who led the Socialist group in the Parliament from 2004 to 2012.

"I think the Chinese leadership is all too aware that it is in its interest to foster stability and prosperity both within China and in the world. That is why I overwhelmingly see Chinese economic growth as an opportunity."

Schulz, who is married with two children, and who worked in a publishing house and ran his own bookstore before entering politics, says: "We do not shy away from stressing the issues of contention between the EU and China, because I think a stable relationship must be based on trust and truth. Non-interference only applies to countries and peoples who have nothing to do with one another."

Schulz has been nominated for the European Commission presidency by his own Social Democratic Party of Germany. The Socialists are expected to make significant gains in the European elections, and many are demanding that the appointment of the next president must directly reflect the outcome of the poll.

That is why Schulz, whose hopes of a career as a footballer were dashed by a knee injury as a youth, is seen as serious contender, and he explains why he is standing as a candidate.

"They are the same reasons I entered into politics when I was still a teenager - because I firmly believe in the European ideal and I want to defend it and make it fit for the 21st century, making my contribution to create a fairer, more united and prosperous Europe."

The fight against euroscepticism and youth unemployment are expected to be his main platform policies for the presidency.

He is generous in describing Barroso as a "true believer in the European ideal", adding, "I have a lot of respect for him personally and as a politician. He had to deal with Europe in the eye of the storm, but I would have dealt with the crisis in a different way. In European politics, austerity has become a mantra and intergovernmentalism has been strengthened, although he is not the culprit. This is anyhow a regrettable development."

Schulz also says he is anxious about the expected influx of MEPs from the far right after the elections. "But I am neither resigned to nor intimidated by the eurosceptic and populist tide that is building up."

And the stakes are high, he says.

"They are the first elections after the arrival of the crisis, the first elections after the bailouts, the first elections when citizens will be able to endorse a candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, the first elections after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. These elections will determine the future of the EU for the next five years, and more."

Schulz insists he is focused on his presidency candidacy and has no ambitions in domestic politics.

"I have ambition for German politics, not in German politics. I want to see a Germany that is capable of advancing the general interest of the EU as a whole, rather than defending what it perceives to be its own.

"My ambition is to give back to European citizens the enthusiasm, pride and confidence in the most visionary political project that ever was."

For China Daily

( China Daily European Weekly 12/20/2013 page32)