The Seminar was successfully held by CCPIT and Free Trade Association

The Seminar on "Propel Free Trade Cooperation and Promotion, Lift Sino-EU Economic and Trade Relations" was successfully held by the CCPIT and Free Trade Association (FTA) in Beijing on November 29. Vice Chairman of the CCPIT Wang Jinzhen and FTA Director General Christian Ewert attended and addressed the seminar. More than 150 delegates from the embassies of Germany, Slovakia, the UK and other EU member states in China, Sri Lanka Embassy in China, industry associations, academic research institutions etc attended the seminar.

Wang said, as important trading partners, Sino-EU economic and trade cooperation has achieved fruitful results. In recent years, however, Chinese and European enterprises have also encountered some differences and frictions. The Chinese business community hopes that the EU will abolish trade barriers against Chinese enterprises, abide by its commitments on Article 15 of the Protocol on China's Access to the WTO and fulfill its obligations comprehensively and thoroughly, to safeguard the sound development of Sino-EU economic and trade relations. The Chinese business community believes that the establishment of a free trade area by the Chinese and European governments can create a legalized, internationalized policy environment. He hoped the two sides to carry out feasibility research on Sino-EU FTA and start negotiations on China-EU FTA as soon as possible.

Christian Ewert said, with complementary economic cooperation, the two sides should control risk in cooperation and create opportunities. China and the EU should continue to expand market opening and eliminate trade barriers. The close China-EU bilateral economic and trade cooperation is unprecedented, and free trade can bring more economic benefits for both sides. The FTA believes that Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed China’s faith in promoting the global economic integration and trade liberalization in his proposal of unswervingly leading the economic globalization process at the Informal APEC Economic Leaders' Meetings. The FTA is willing to work together with the CCPIT to promote China-EU FTA construction feasibility study of China-EU FTA and FTA negotiations.

Professor Peckman of the Centre for European Policy Studies issued the report on "Silk Road of Tomorrow: Evaluation of China-EU Free Trade Agreement". The report, entrusted by the FTA, is the feasibility study of China-EU FTA. The report said that

China-EU economic development can achieve more results through the signing of a comprehensive FTA. Prior to the seminar, the CCPIT entrusted experts at Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC) to study the EU report. Yao Ling, Deputy Director of the Institute of European and Eurasian Studies of the CAITEC shared China’s feedback and preliminary study results of the report.

Experts, industry representatives and officials had heated discussion on opportunities and obstacles of U-China enterprises in trade and investment cooperation, Sino-EU trade friction, Sino-EU FTA negotiations and other issues.

Finally, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Department of the CCPIT Liu Chao and Christian Ewert concluded the seminar. They said, both sides should uphold trade liberalization, further strengthen communication and mutual trust. Sino-EU FTA will bring positive effects on the healthy and rapid development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Chinese and EU business communities are willing to actively cooperate with government departments to participate in the feasibility study of China-EU FTA negotiations, and hope to further enhance the level of bilateral economic cooperation to seek common development.

Source:http://en.ccpit.org