Apparent full text of joint statement of Ninth EU-China Summit.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

Helsinki, 9 September: China and the European Union (EU) issued on Saturday a joint statement covering a wide range of issues after an EU-China summit here. Following is the full text of the joint statement:

1. The Ninth EU-China Summit was held in Helsinki, Finland, on Sept. 9, 2006. The EU was represented by the president of the European Council, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of Finland, President of the European Commission Mr Jose Manuel Barroso. Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council of China attended the meeting on behalf of the People's Republic of China.

2. Leaders of the two sides agreed that the past decade had seen significant changes in the EU and in China and a progressive deepening of the relationship, which was maturing into a comprehensive strategic partnership. They believed that the strengthening of the relationship had been of great value to the long-term interests of the EU and China, to cooperation between Asia and Europe, as well as to peace, stability, and development in the world at large.

3. Leaders of the two sides emphasized the importance of high-level political dialogue and consultations at all levels in enhancing understanding and trust, expanding common ground, and advancing bilateral relations. They welcomed the recently established regular strategic dialogue mechanism, which had proven to be a valuable tool in the frank and in-depth discussions of important international and regional issues and the exchanges of views on bilateral issues of common concern.

4. In order to reflect the full breadth and depth of today's comprehensive strategic partnership between the EU and China, the two sides agreed to launch negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement which will encompass the full scope of their bilateral relationship, including enhanced cooperation in political matters. These negotiations will also update the 1985 EEC-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement, and will be administered in a relatively independent manner, taking into consideration the global objectives of the EU-China strategic partnership.

5. The EU side reaffirmed its continued adherence to "one China" policy and expressed its hope for a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question through constructive dialogue. The Chinese side appreciated EU's commitment to the "one China" policy and reiterated its principled position on the Taiwan question.

6. Leaders also discussed the EU arms embargo. The Chinese side reiterated its view that lifting the arms embargo would be conducive to the sound development of the EU-China relations and urged the EU to lift the arms embargo at an early date. The EU side recognized the importance of this issue and confirmed its willingness to carry forward work towards lifting the embargo on the basis of the Joint Statement of the 2004 EU-China Summit and subsequent European Council Conclusions.

7. Leaders reiterated their willingness to develop their cooperation in the fields of non-proliferation and disarmament, in particular in the preparation for a successful review conference on Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in November 2006 and the upcoming Preparatory Committee for the next review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. They will continue to maintain and enhance dialogue and cooperation on the basis of the Joint Declaration of the European Union and the People's Republic of China on Non-proliferation and Arms Control which was adopted at the 2004 EU-China Summit. The two sides noted with great satisfaction their ongoing practical cooperation in the area of export control.

8. Leaders emphasized the importance of efforts to reform the United Nations system and their strong support for a fair, just and rules-based multilateral international system with the UN playing a central role. They reiterated their commitment to promote world peace, security, …