China and Europe hope to reach accord on trade and environment in face of uncertainty following Trump's election victory

The challenges of maintaining the impetus toward closer trade relations and of reinforcing the global response to climate change will be among the items that will top the agenda on June 1 and 2. The European Union-China meeting in Brussels.

The annual meeting will be the first opportunity for the two sides to discuss the two issues on a bilateral summit-level basis since the election of President Donald Trump cast doubt on US commitment to either of them.

The meeting has been brought forward from its usual July date in a deliberate signal of urgency in developing a response to the new challenges emanating from Washington.

Federica Mogherini, the EU's top foreign policy official, who was in Beijing in April for preparatory talks, said during her visit that, as global powers, the EU and China "have a joint responsibility to work together toward a more cooperative, rules-based global order."

She stressed the achievements of the international Paris agreement on climate change, along with cooperation at the World Trade Organization to avoid the emergence of protectionism, as areas in which China and the EU needed to work closely together to sustain the world order.

The Brussels meeting comes after President Xi Jinping urged fellow world leaders at the Belt and Road forum on May 14 and 15 to reject protectionism. European officials generally embrace that philosophy, in contrast to the more inward-looking policy of "America First" coming out of the Trump White House.

The Europeans are nevertheless seeking Beijing's assurances that trade relations will be based on transparency and fair competition for contracts within international trade rules. China, for its part, has criticized the EU's failure to recognize China's market economy status within the WTO.

However, the two sides appear to want to tone down their differences on trade in favor of adopting a joint approach to countering US protectionism.

On the climate change front, the impetus for a joint approach is even more urgent. Trump has yet to announce whether the US will pull out of the 2016 Paris climate change accord that has so far been ratified by 146 countries.

The White House said this month that the president had put off his final decision until after this week's summit of the G7 group of leading economies in Italy.

The EU has said it regards the Paris accord as irreversible and non-negotiable, while China has joined calls to urge the US to abide by the agreement, which it says Beijing supports 100 percent.

These amount to positive signals ahead of the Brussels meeting, at which European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will represent the European Union and Premier Li Keqiang will head the Chinese team.

Shared views on two such important issues - trade and global warming - underline a broader development toward closer EU-China relations in the wake of the Trump victory.

Trump welcomed Britain's referendum vote last year to leave the EU and predicted others might follow, a position from which he has somewhat backtracked in recent weeks.

China, in contrast, has reaffirmed its faith in the EU and, in the recent words of Premier Li, "supports European integration and expects the EU to remain united, stable and prosperous."

Speaking ahead of the June 1-2 Brussels gathering, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying acknowledged that the current international situation was complex and volatile and faced with increasing uncertainties.

"China and EU are two important forces in the world and also comprehensive strategic partners for each other," Hua said.

She said the summit would send a positive message to the rest of the world that the two sides would work together to uphold the multilateral system, oppose protectionism and develop economic globalization in an equitable and rational manner.

The author is a senior media consultant for China Daily. Contact the writer at [email protected]

(China Daily European Weekly 05/26/2017 page11)