People’s Congress since the 1980s, with the subsequent establishment of regular
exchange mechanisms. In recent years, the European Parliament’s Delegation for
Relations with China normally conducts two exchange visits with China’s National
People’s Congress each year. Exchanges between the two sides involve very
extensive issues including China’s economic development, democratic and legal
reforms, cooperation in variousfields between the two sides (such as security,
military affairs, cybercrime), China-EU trade relations and climate change in
addition to the human rights issue.
For example, at the 31st meeting convened in June 2011 under the mechanism
for regular exchanges between China-EU legislative institutions, the two sides
exchanged views on global governance, multilateralism, relations with neighboring
countries, and etc. Issues discussed at the 33rd meeting held in July 2012 mainly
included the development of China-EU relations, legal and human rights issues,
personnel exchanges, economic and trade relations, bilateral investment, and etc.^43
On September 18, 2012, a delegation from the European Union Chamber of
Commerce in China took part in the talks between the European Parliament’s
Delegation for Relations with China and China’s National People’s Congress. This
delegation submitted a position paper^44 covering 600 suggestions in total, 40 of
which are related directly to the market access issue, while the others are concerned
with China’s investment model, new development mode, and suggestions that the
EU should speak with one voice and strengthen, as a single entity, its strategy
towards China.
- Exchanges among political parties
The Party group is the most important organizational structure in the European
Parliament. All of its main party groups have connections with China. For example,
the Group of the European People’s Party often holds informal roundtable meetings
with the participation of European parliamentarians from this Group as one part and
relevant personnel from the Chinese Delegation to the European Union and from
the Chinese embassies in European countries as the other part, in order to exchange
views on some important issues. The Group of the European People’s Party held a
seminar with the Chinese Delegation at the end of May 2012, which was designed
to discuss issues concerning China’s market economy status.^45 Moreover, parlia-
mentarians from the main party groups have regularly visited and kept close contact
with China. For example, Joseph Daul, President of the Group of the European
(^43) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/20092014/documents/d-cn/dv/agenda/agenda_en.pdf.
Accessed on November 2, 2012.
(^44) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/d-cn/pv/912/912774/912774en.
pdf, Accessed on November 2, 2012.
(^45) Interview conducted by the Author at the European Parliament (Brussels), March, 2012.
52 J. Li et al.