IT was 45 years ago, on May 6, 1975 in Beijing when Christopher Soames, vice president of the European Commission in charge of external relations, and Qiao Guanhua, minister of foreign affairs of the People’s Republic of China, formalized the establishment of diplomatic relations of the two sides. The day before, despite his hospitalization, Premier Zhou Enlai had insisted on receiving Soames.
China’s recognition of European integration echoed its strategic intention to “counter the desire for the hegemony of the superpowers” by relying as much on the desire for autonomy and unity of the Europeans, as on the quality of the relationship between the European Economic Community (EEC) and developing countries (the Lomé Convention had just been signed in February 1975). On the European side, besides Soames’ personal interest in China, it was about taking advantage of China’s readmission into the United Nations (1971) and the process of normalization of Sino-American relations (1972-1979) to establish official relations with Beijing – just as the ECC had done with India as early as 1962.
May 1975 would also open a new chapter in the shared history of Europe and China through Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping’s visit to France (May 12-17). This historic move, the first visit by a Chinese state leader to the West, heralded the forward development of comprehensive relations between Europe and China.
Forty-five years later, the relationship between the European Union (EU) and China has become a pillar of the international system.
From Development Aid to Global Strategic Partnership
Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av China Today (English).
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Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av China Today (English).
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A City with Vision for the Future
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A Similar History Has United Us
— Interview with Carlos Miguel Pereira, Ambassador of Cuba to China
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SINCE ancient times, Xinjiang has been a region where ethnic groups live together, religious beliefs are diversified, and many cultures coexist. Primitive religion and Shamanism were initially prevalent in the region.
Xinjiang in My Eyes
ON May 24, 2021, I boarded a flight to Urumqi from Beijing with a group of Chinese and foreign journalists to learn more about Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a vast territory that is home to many ethnic groups and diverse cultures. The visit has left me with lasting memories and a deeper understanding of the people and the region as a whole.
Stability and Development Are the Strongest Evidences of Human Rights
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BRI Nexus Promoting Multilateralism in a Post-Pandemic World
BORN of centuries-long interactions between China and other civilizations along the ancient Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) appears as the quintessential manifestation of multilateralism on the world stage since the Second World War which was, sad to say, one of quite a different kind.
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Xinjiang's Cotton Industry Gets Smart
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