Chinese Premier’s Win-Win Europe Visit

By+WANG+YIWEI

THIS year could well be described as Chinas “European Year，” Premier Li Keqiang having visited the continent twice. In fact， he has been to Europe four times since taking office last year. Moreover， his presence at the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting in Milan， Italy， on Oct 16-17 has brightened prospects for the new Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， which President Xi Jinping proposed last year， becoming operational.

Lis visit to Germany， Russia， and Italy， given their strategic significance both in terms of geopolitics and economics， reflects Beijings determination to deepen ChinaEurope cooperation. The “two silk roads” are aimed at improving the connection between Asia and Europe （Africa too）， as well as advancing Chinas comprehensive reform and Europes re-industrialization process.

As Chinas largest EU trading partner， Germany serves as a bridge to Eurasian cooperation. Its city of Duisburg now looks set to become the westernmost destination of the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe international rail route. And Italy， where the ancient Silk Road ended， could still play a vital role in connecting Asia， Europe， and Africa.

Lis visit to Europe has sown the seeds of deeper ChinaEurope ties and closer China-EU strategic partnership by making use of two important factors for safeguarding world peace – boosting the global market-oriented econo- my and promoting “universal civilization.”

The two proposed silk roads are aimed at realizing more inclusive globalization. Unlike the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership， which have excluded China by imposing higher trade standards， the “silk roads” proposition is open， inclusive， and not aimed at containing any country. It is also intended to help develop all “roadside countries.” Besides， a similar EU-proposed blueprint aimed at building a free trade zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok is likely to take the China-Europe cooperation to a higher level.

Connecting China with Europe and Africa， the “two silk roads” – once they become operational – could establish closer bonds among countries along the Pacific Ocean， Indian Ocean， and the Mediterranean Sea. Compared with the traditional ocean route-based globalization， which has created a wealth gap between coastal and landlocked countries， the “two silk roads” attach greater importance to landlocked developing countries， such as Mongolia.

The integration of Europe and Asia will benefit not only developing Asian countries but also increasingly “marginalized” European states， according to the “Reflection Group on the Future of the EU 2030” report of 2010.

Restoring Europe as the central state of globalization calls， as a matter of urgency， for the breaking down of geographical barriers in Eurasia and upgrading of the transportation network through high-speed trains. Small wonder， therefore， that the European Commissions recently proposed “Connecting Europe Facility” program states that more than €26 billion （US $31 billion） of the EU 2014 to 2020 budget should be earmarked for transport， energy， and digital networks that remove bottlenecks and supply missing links in the EU Single Market.

If this network is properly connected to the “two silk roads” as proposed by China， the railways， highways，sea and air routes， as well as oil and gas pipelines across Eurasia， should gradually spawn a wide spectrum of industrial clusters. Their radiating effect on such sectors as construction， energy， metallurgy， finance， communications， and tourism would ideally give rise to a latent“Eurasia market” characterized by convenient multilateral trade and investment.

Of course， cooperation with third parties is important for China-Europe ties， a fact acknowledged by top leaders on both sides at the 16th China-EU leaders meeting in Beijing last year， the China-Europe 2020 plan proposing more bilateral negotiations on African， Central Asian and Latin American affairs. It is also important for China and the EU to cooperate at regional and trans-regional forums， particularly the Asia-Europe meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum， both of which play vital roles in facilitating sustainable and inclusive development in Asia.

Europe， whose past colonial rules still affect many countries in Asia， Africa， and Latin America， could also benefit from Chinas integration into the broader world community. So， instead of indulging in the zero-sum game of accusing each other of colonialism and neo-colonialism， China and Europe should rope in third parties in their cooperation programs.

Joint efforts such as the proposed “two silk roads” will not only revitalize Eurasia as a whole， but also build a more inclusive global market.