Differing views on how to marry China's rapid industrial development with reducing energy consumption are likely to be at the centre of tensions between leaders at the summit, although Chinese diplomats in Brussels have indicated their willingness to cooperate more closely on CO2 reduction.
Speaking yesterday (19 May) at a conference on the role of China in a new global order, Ambassador Song Zhe, who heads the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the EU, called for closer coordination to tackle the financial and energy crises.
However, he said China was working on the basis of "common but differentiated responsibilities" for reducing greenhouse emissions.
This principle, which is contained in the Kyoto Protocol, places greater responsibility on industrialised countries such as the US and EU, while making some allowances for the fact that China, India and others are still developing.
The ambassador said developed countries are responsible for the majority of historical greenhouse gas emissions, and China's current per capita emissions are one fifth those of the United States. However, he said China is actively restructuring its national economy and revamping production models in an effort to cut energy consumption.
Zhe added that China's response to the crisis shows that it is a nation intent on shouldering responsibility.
Addressing concerns over what kind of world power China will be in the evolving new global order, the ambassador said Beijing does not pose a threat to other nations.
"China was once bullied by foreign powers and therefore knows dearly the humiliation of inequality. China will never bring such agony to others. Nor will it pursue its own development at the expense of others' interest," he said.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said EU-China relations are a key topic of discussion at Commission level.
"Historically, the rise of global powers has led to tension and conflict. However, history need not repeat itself," she said.
She said the immediate common challenges facing the EU and China are the economic crisis and the environment, calling for a coordinated response to both. She said Europe is sharing know-how on clean coal, carbon capture and storage with China in order to assist its efforts to cut carbon output.
Ferrero-Waldner added that the EU and China have a common interest in resisting protectionism.
The summit comes in a week where new figures reveal a €170 billion trade deficit between the EU and China. Between 2000 and 2008, trade in goods between the two giants tripled in value. All EU countries have a trade deficit with China – meaning they import more than the export – with the Netherlands (€41 billion), the UK (€33 billion) and Italy (€24 billion) recording the highest trade gaps.
