Speech by Mr. SANTER, hon. Chairman ECCU

（欧中联合商会主席 雅克.桑特先生的讲话）

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Guests,
　　I am particularly honored and pleased to attend this important Conference. This gives us an excellent opportunity to emphasize the increasing importance of the relations between China and Europe. I remember today that the first important international political initiative taken by the European Commission as I was President was the adoption on the 5th July 1995 of the strategy paper entitled “A long Term Policy for China-Europe Relations”. But during the last period from 1995 until now, what a long way has been achieved? During these 12 years we deepened and strengthened and stimulated our bilateral relations towards a maturing, open and fair partnership.
　　This new maturity of our common relationship is based on closer cooperation. The range of issues has widened, political dialogues have evolved and a number of sect oral agreements have been concluded. In the current international climate, there is undeniable interest in acting as strategic partners, given the increasing importance of both actors on the world stage and their converging positions, particularly with regards to the essential role of organizations and multicultural systems.
　　To better reflect the importance of their relations the EU and China agreed a strategic partnership in 2003. We all know that China has undergone an impressive economic reform process over the last twelve years. Not only has economic growth been impressive, but nearly 400 millions of people have been lifted out of poverty. This cannot be stressed enough. It is a lesson on how economic reform and trade liberalization can successfully transform an economy. We are aware that some differences remain; they are being managed effectively and relations are increasingly mature and realistic. At the same time China is, with the EU, closely bound to the globalization process and becoming more integrated into the international system.
　　The EU’s fundamental approach to China must remain one of engagement and partnership. But with a closer partnership, mutual responsibilities increase. The partnership should meet both sides’ interests and China and the EU need to work together as they assume more active and responsible international roles, supporting and contributing to a strong and effective multilateral system. The goal should be a situation where China and the EU bring their respective strengths to bear to offer joint solutions to global problems.
　　One of today’s key global challenges is to ensure our development is sustainable. China will be central to meeting this challenge. On issues such as energy, the environment and climate change, respect for international standards, developing assistance, as well as wide macroeconomic issues, the EU and China should ensure close international co-operation.
　　The globalization of the economy and the growth this has let to have contributed to intensified industrialization and urbanization. At the same time the population of the planet has increased. They have raised the demand for mobility and transport. In a more general sense, they have added to the world’s energy needs. Air pollution is only one aspect of the damaging consequences of this development. In addition to the risk of interruption of energy supplies, there is now the threat to the global climate through the intensive use of carbon fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.
　　The question is: how can a sustainable growth be maintained with sufficient energy supplies, yet without damaging the whole planet? At the request of the 8 Heads of G State the International Energy Agency looked at possible ways of developing a clean, clever and competitive energy future. The conclusions were alarming: “The energy future we are creating is unsustainable. If we continue as before, the energy supply to meet the needs of the world economy over the next 25 years is too vulnerable to failure arising from under-investment, environment catastrophe or sudden supply interruptions.”
　　Global warning, together with the need to ensure security of supply and enhance business competitiveness, make it ever more vital for the EU to put in place an integrated policy on energy combining action at the European and the Member States’ level. As a milestone in the creation of an Energy Policy for Europe and a spring board for further action, the European Council adopted in its meeting of the 9th March 2007 a really comprehensive Action Plan for the period 2007-2009.
　　The Action Plan sets out the way in which significant progress in the efficient operation and completion of the EU’s internal market for gas and electricity and a more interconnected and integrated market can be achieved. It also addresses the crucial issue of security of energy supply and the response to potential crises. It fixes highly ambitions quantified targets on energy efficiency, renewable energies and the use of bio fuels and calls for a European Strategic Energy Technology plan, including environmentally safe Carbon Capture and Sequestration.
　　In this field China and the EU – both sides – should ensure secure and sustainable energy supplies.
　　As important players in world energy markets, the EU and China share a common interest and responsibility in ensuring the security and sustainability of energy supplies, improving efficiency and mitigating the environmental impact of energy production and consumption. The EU’s priority should be to ensure China’s integration into world energy markets and multilateral governance mechanisms and institution, and to encourage China to become an active and responsible energy partner. On that basis both sides should work together to increase international co-operation, in particular efforts to improve transparency and reliability of energy data and the exchange of information aimed at improving energy security in developing countries, including Africa.
　　They should strengthen China’s technical and regulatory expertise, reducing growth in energy demand, increasing energy efficiency and use of clean renewable energy such as wind, biomass and bio fuels, promoting energy standards and savings through the development and deployment of near zero emission coal technology.
　　Finally they should commit to enhance stability through a market-based approach to investment and procurement; dialogue with other major consumers; encouragement of transparent and non-discriminatory regulatory frameworks, including open and effective energy market access; and by promoting the adoption of internationally recognized norms and standards.
　　China and EU have to combat climate change and improve the environment. We already have a good basis for co-operation on environment issues and on climate change through the Partnership established at the 2005 EU-China Summit.
　　The EU should share regulatory expertise, working with China to prevent pollution, safeguard biodiversity, make the use of energy, water and raw materials more efficient, and improve transparency and the enforcement of environmental legislation. Both sides should work together to tackle deforestation and illegal logging, sustainable management of fisheries resources and maritime governance.
　　Both sides should build on the Climate Change Partnership, reinforcing bilateral co-operation, and strengthening international co-operation, meeting shared international responsibilities under the Climate Change Convention and Kyoto Protocol and engage actively in the dialogues on international climate change co-operation post-2012. We should strengthen the use of emissions trading and clean development mechanisms.
　　Conclusions
　　Improvements in our knowledge of the worldwide risks posed by climate change confirm the scale of the problem and the urgency of the measures that must be taken. This action must be at international level, in the field of government regulation, in terms of technological development and more globally in our relationship with energy. The cost of measures designed to temper the effects and adapt to them is within our range; in any event it will be a great deal less then the cost of doing nothing. All affected countries, wether contributing to emissions and / or suffering the consequences, must now stand together. They must all be involved in reaching agreement rapidly on fairly dividing their efforts towards reducing and limiting their emissions and supporting the development of reliable, non-carbon energy technologies – including nuclear energy – in favor of more sustainable development. China with her huge potentialities and the European Union through their technologies have a vital role to play in this respect.

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