EU-China relations in 2011, 2012

European officials in China reviewed events of 2011 and looked forward to 2012 at a press conference on Monday in Beijing. Markus Ederer, the European Union (EU) ambassador to China, and Danish ambassador Friis Arne Peterson spoke at the meeting, which was hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to China.

Ederer, who has served as the EU ambassador since Jan 2011, summarized the EU's past year of work in China. He said both sides achieved good results in political, economic and cultural cooperation.

Concerning China-EU relations, Ederer said, the strategic relationship between the two sides will continue to develop, and they will continue to become more interdependent. The countries need to be prepared to increase dialogue and deepen understanding, he said.

Petersen said Denmark's EU presidency of the EU in 2012 will be marked by several events in China to showcase Danish culture, values and strategies.

The goals of these EU press events are to strengthen intercultural dialogue, improve cultural understanding and promote people-to-people interaction between the countries, Petersen said.

Video: Lin Hanqing

Voiceover: Chris Clark

Photographerp: Huan CAO

Producer: Flora Yue