The European Commission sets out 10 actions to discuss regarding the relationship with China. In the statement, EU described China a “cooperation partner” and “negotiating partner”. Also, it pointed out that China is a “systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance.”
Vice-President, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, said it’s the aim of the actions to “strengthen our relations with China, in a spirit of mutual respect.” Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness, said EU would act to “strengthen its competitiveness, ensure more reciprocity and level playing field, and protect its market economy from possible distortions.”
There are a few points within the 10 actions that are worth noting.
- Action 5: In order to achieve a more balanced and reciprocal economic relationship, the EU calls on China to deliver on existing joint EU-China commitments. This includes reforming the World Trade Organisation, in particular on subsidies and forced technology transfers, and concluding bilateral agreements on investment by 2020, on geographical indications swiftly, and on aviation safety in the coming weeks.
- Action 8: To fully address the distortive effects of foreign state ownership and state financing in the internal market, the Commission will identify before the end of 2019 how to fill existing gaps in EU law.
- Action 9: To safeguard against potential serious security implications for critical digital infrastructure, a common EU approach to the security of 5G networks is needed. To kickstart this, the European Commission will issue a Recommendation following the European Council.
- Action 10: To detect and raise awareness of security risks posed by foreign investment in critical assets, technologies and infrastructure, Member States should ensure the swift, full and effective implementation of the Regulation on screening of foreign direct investment.
