Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the European Union will give a strong boost to consolidation of the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, says Ambassador Yang Yanyi, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU.

"President Xi's visit to the EU headquarters is historic," Yang says. "It will be the first visit to the EU headquarters by a Chinese president since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides in 1975."

According to Yang, Xi will have a tight schedule in Belgium. During his visit to the EU, Xi will meet with President Herman Van Rompuy of the European Council, President Jose Manuel Barroso of the European Commission, and President Martin Schulz of the European Parliament.

Xi will also attend various functions, including visiting the Pairi Daiza Zoo, now home to the two friendship panda envoys - Xinghui and Haohao.

During the president's visit, Chinese officials will brief their EU counterparts on economic and social development in China, particularly the implementation of the major decisions of the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the recent sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"The visit will be a new milestone in China-EU relations and it is a clear demonstration of the great importance attached to China-EU relations by both China and the EU," Yang says.

Last year, because of the solar panel dispute, the relationship became tense. However, with the settlement of the solar dispute and a series of investment negotiations, the relationship started to get back on track.

"While irritants will remain, our common and converging interests far outweigh our differences and even disputes."

Yang says one of the aims of Xi's visit is to push forward the investment agreement.

"The two sides should aim toward the timely conclusion of the negotiations of the ambitious China-EU Investment Agreement, which will provide a simpler and more secure legal framework to investors on both sides. It is also worthwhile and imperative that the two sides launch a joint feasibility study for a China-EU free trade area."

Last year the two sides signed the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, which included reinforcing communication and cooperation on finance, industry and information, agriculture, transport and infrastructure, science, technology and innovation, space and aerospace, energy, urbanization, culture, education, youth affairs and facilitation of people-to-people exchanges.

Bilateral trade totalled more than 430 billion euros ($584 billion) in 2012, four times what it was a decade ago. The two sides also decided in 2013 to increase bilateral trade to $1 trillion by 2020.

Belgium is one of the founders of the European Union, whose headquarters are located in the country's capital, Brussels. For China, both the country and the EU are important partners, says Liao Liqiang, Chinese ambassador to Belgium.

"China and Europe are two major forces safeguarding world peace and that promote the growth of these two big markets," Liao says. "China-EU relations continue to flourish, buttressed by their trading ties, the European Union having been China's largest trading partner for the past 10 years.

"As China and the EU embrace change, they are together presented historic opportunities.

"President Xi's visit will reinforce their ties in several important areas, such as technological innovation, energy saving, environmental protection, urbanization and cultural exchanges. Such collaboration holds out the promise of a world that is more attractive, more balanced and more secure."

tuoyannan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/28/2014 page11)