and German Chancellor Angela Merkel continued developing the strategic plan in
order to accelerate the China-Germany relationship. Once carried out, these com-
mon plans will determine the strategic nature of the China-Germany relationship,
and meanwhile, the development of the China-Germany strategic relationship will
continue to make the China-EU strategic partnership more meaningful and
comprehensive.
The China-France relationship is also one the forerunners of China-EU relations.
Half a century ago, France broke through the barriers set by the Western Camp
which was headed by the US, andfirst established a diplomatic relationship with
China. As a country in Western Europe, France took the lead in developing a
bilateral relationship, and now it cooperates with China in space technology, avi-
ation, energy, nuclear power reportability, military, justice, medicine, agriculture,
environmental protection, etc. within the framework of the China-EU strategic
partnership, and is a leader in some areas. In thefields of political party exchange,
cultural dialogue, and global governance, France is more an active cooperator and
dialogue partner of China. In the past decade, the China-France relationship con-
tinued to reflect the comparative advantages of these two big powers of economy,
politics and culture. China and France had the same or similar opinions on cultural
diversity while striving to develop their economic relationship. Some political
events, however, such as President Sarkozy’s meeting with Dalai, thwarting the
Olympic Torch Relay, etc., also produced effects on the China-France
relationship. China and France hold the same standpoint on safeguarding world
peace, but the two sides do not agree with each other completely on some issues
concerning how to settle international disputes and what kind of international
interference principles to maintain. Faced with the globalfinancial crisis, it is more
necessary for France to join foreign markets and resources, especially China’s
market and resources, as an active, beneficial factor for the adjustment of its eco-
nomic structure. The“new”China-France strategic partnership (2010) is yet to be
explored and promoted.
The China-UK relationship is quite a unique one among the bilateral relations
between China and European countries. It is not only because the UK is one of the
first big powers of the West to recognize the new China, but also because China and
the UK realized Hong Kong’s return to China peacefully through negotiation;
moreover, the UK took the lead in formulating a specific policy towards China. The
“perceptions of China”as stated by the UK publicly underlines China’s importance
to the UK and the China-UK relationship is mainly characterized by cooperation,
but it also reflects the dual character of the UK’s policy towards China. After China
and the EU announced the establishment of the strategic partnership, the UK and
China set up the strategic partnership at the state level in 2004. Since then the
China-UK relationship has been rapidly developing in a favorable way. Both sides
have developed interaction and cooperation in various areas and at multiple levels,
and the bilateral trade volume increased at a rate as high as 37 % in 2004 and it was
kept at the annual growth rate of more than 20 % for several years after that. There
have been ups and downs in the development of the China-UK relationship, which
experienced a difficult time after Prime Minister Cameron and Deputy Prime
1 An Overview of the China-EU Strategic Partnership (2003–2013) 17