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Mutual understanding

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-01 08:10

When the top leaders of China and the EU sat down yesterday for their annual summit in Jiangsu, the province itself - which hosts the regional headquarters of a cluster of top-notch European firms - was testimony to deep-rooted economic ties between the two sides.

Yet relations between the two major global powers, if they are to reach a truly strategic level, need a more solid foundation than mere economic bonds.

They should surpass ideological differences, and secure mutual understanding and respect to avoid derailment and maintain stability.

The ties, a comprehensive strategic partnership since 2003, have touched rock bottom at times when some European countries played their pet card of human rights issues and made baseless accusations on matters which are China's domestic affairs.

Instead of viewing relations with China from a long-term strategic perspective, they tried to lock China into their own biased value system and hurt China on the latter's core interests.

Even though relations are now back on track after mutual efforts, the mistakes may repeat themselves if there are no fundamental changes in the mindset of some European countries and leaders toward their partner's ideology and model of development.

Therefore, Premier Wen Jiabao has called on the EU to completely discard discrimination, containment and counteraction, and urged the two to be friends instead of opponents.

Yet it seems that our European friends still have some difficulty in understanding the way two important friends treat each other.

Some of them, despite China's efforts in containing greenhouse gas emissions and maintaining currency stability, have pressed Beijing to accelerate the appreciation of its currency even as they themselves exercise trade protectionism.

But some Europeans have been more enlightened in their views, calling for a new understanding of China's traditions and development mode.

It's the right time for some countries to give up the idea of tying China to their own interests, mend fences, and face up to their common goals.

Those seeds of misunderstanding, once sown, are hard to be weeded out. The past setbacks have hurt the mutual understanding of ordinary people both in Europe and China. Therefore, the two sides also need to strengthen exchanges in social and cultural sectors.

The summit comes at a time when the world is undergoing major changes; cooperation, rather than selfish interests, is needed for a better world.

As Wen pointed out, no single country can be the winner. Only mutual understanding and cooperation is conducive to world peace and progress.

(China Daily 12/01/2009 page8)