Normalise relationship

Super International Exclusive: With Ina for coffee: Prof. Dr. Wang Yiwei, professor at the Jean Monnet Chair, director of the Institute of International Affairs and the Center for European Studies at Renmin University in China. Former diplomat in the Chinese mission to the European Union and Ina Stašević

INA:  After the end of the 20th Party Congress, President XI Jinping strongly consolidated his position in the Communist Party, which implies the continuity of his policy of opening up to the world economy. How will the Chinese leadership strengthen relations with the European Union?

WANG: As Macron's successful visit to China shows, China's high-level opening-up and high-quality development provide enormous opportunities for Europe. Relations between China and the EU have returned to normal without being hijacked by the Ukrainian crisis or the American Cold War narrative.

INA:  Are there any difficulties facing China in accessing the European market?

WANG: Comparing trade and China's foreign direct investment, there is a lack of transatlantic relations between China and Europe. Investments by Chinese companies in the European market are still limited without a comprehensive EU-China investment agreement. The EU needs to integrate further. China's strategic investment needs a stable and consistent friendly environment.

INA:  We invested huge amounts of money in Ukraine (Europe and America), but the war is not over. It would have been better if there had been no war and if we had invested that money in development projects. Is China ready to cooperate with the European Union and find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Ukraine?

WANG: On the table is the French proposal and the support of China. France convinces Ukraine, and China convinces Russia to return to the negotiating table on the ceasefire. Xi Jinping's message is also in this sense - China is ready to send a joint call to France for a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

INA:  What are the main problems between China and the United States of America? Is it a question of economics or politics, or both? Is the trade war over?

WANG: The rise of China is challenging the US's identity as a city on a hill. So the US government wants to contain China, to weaken its rise, by waging trade and science and technology wars. The trade war never ended.

INA: How do you describe China-India relations at the moment?

WANG: India wants to replace China as the world's factory and the global south. The US is encouraging this trend with the Indo-Pacific strategy. Thus, Sino-Indian relations suffer from competition, but they can cooperate within the framework of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) and BRICS (BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as both countries hope to build justice and balance of the international order.

INA: What is needed to achieve harmony in the world?

WANG: The key is to seek harmony between different religious and political systems. The CPC Congress proposed progress in rejuvenating the Chinese nation on all fronts through China's modernization drive. China's modernization is the modernization of a large population, common prosperity for all, material and cultural-ethical progress, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development. It is rooted in our national conditions and also relies on the experiences of other countries. It bears the stamp of history and traditional culture and also contains modern elements. It brings benefits to the Chinese people and also promotes the common development of the world. It is a sure way for us to build a stronger nation and realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also the path we must take to seek progress for humanity and harmony for the entire world. We will remain committed to the right direction, the right theories and the right path. We will not go off course by changing our nature or abandoning our system. Since our own future is closely related to the future of other countries and peoples, we will strive to provide new opportunities for world development, add new impetus to human exploration of the paths to modernization, and make new contributions to the theory and practice of humanity's modernization as we make new progress in China's modernization.