CIIS Held the Second EU-China Think Tank Dialogue

The Second “EU-China Think Tank Dialogue: Partnership for Peace and Security” was held in CIIS on December 12th, 2017. The dialogue was co-organized by CIIS and European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and the European Union Delegation to China. Dr. Ruan Zongze, Executive Vice-President of CIIS moderated the opening ceremony. Mr. Chen Xu, Director General of the Department of European Affairs of the Ministry, attended this dialogue.

At the launch of the dialogue, EU Ambassador to China Mr. Hans Dietmar Schweisgut and Director General Mr. Chen Xu offered welcoming remarks. More than 150 participants from government, embassies, think-tanks, universities and media of China and EU participated the event.

In his speech, Director General Mr. Chen Xu reviewed the consensus to forge the four major partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization between China and EU, which was reached by President Xi Jinping of the PRC and the leaders of EU last year. Director General Chen expressed China’s will to promote the construction of a new type of international relations and the human destiny community with all sides, including EU. The Partnership for peace, which is a major part of the four major partnerships, reflects the responsibility of China and EU to construct a wonderful world together. Both sides should continue enhancing mutual trust, supporting each other’s development and multilateralism, furthering practical cooperation, co-building the Belt and Road, making contributions to the world’s peace, security and development.

In the public panel, participants reviewed and assessed the achievements that China and EU have made in the cooperation of peace and security. In addition, they had in-depth exchanges on the consensus and responsibility of this cooperation. Both sides agreed, though international and regional situations changes rapidly and more challenges have appeared, the China-EU relations, with a more solid foundation of mutual trust and gradual accumulation of common interest, will move forward steadily under the guidance of the grand design of four major partnerships.

This is the second dialogue that China-EU thinks tanks held to discuss the four major partnerships. Both sides would continue this type of communication in the future.