Interview: Cooperation on EU, China development strategies to benefit world: EESC president

The cooperation between the European Union (EU) and China on their development strategies will not only benefit the two parties, but also the world, Georges Dassis, president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) told Xinhua.

China is viewed as a priority partner for the EU and vice versa, and their cooperation would contribute to world peace and wealth distribution, Dassis said at an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of a two-day EU-China roundtable meeting in Brussels.

The 14th EU-China Civil Society Round Table meeting, hosted by the EESC and joined by its Chinese counterpart the China Economic and Social Council (CESC), discussed the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the newly-established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

"Our debate on the initiative and the AIIB was very good," Dassis said. "Under the current situation, we should encourage more multilateral investment to make sure our strategies and plans would generate pragmatic outcomes."

He commented that the EU 2020, the bloc's growth strategy, and China's fresh 13th Five-Year Plan for the country's economic and social development, were "virtually identical."

Dassis applauded the decision to synergize the European Investment Plan, or Juncker Plan, and China's Belt and Road Initiative made at the EU-China summit last June, adding the cooperation could contribute to developing better standards of living in countries involved in the initiative, as well as globally.

The European Investment Plan and China's Belt and Road Initiative share the same goal because in theory as both projects aim for growth, Dassis said.

As the consultative body of the EU institutions, the EESC has the right, and is in fact obligated, to assess the bloc's major political decision, Dassis said. "We need to observe their cooperation, the EESC will make an assessment on it in the coming one or two years."

He said the EESC would be prepared to present opinions on behalf of EU member states' citizens and societies as "it has been the committee's main duty since it was established in 1957."

"Our voices have always been well listened to," he added.

He mentioned the EESC was in favor of the Juncker Plan since Europe needed investment to promote employment and improve people's standard of living.

"However, we still hold the view that the plan is not sufficient. Most EESC members agreed that 2 percent of EU's GDP (gross domestic product) should be used to tackle unemployment and eliminate poverty," he said.

"The targeted 315-billion-euro investment, of course, is not small amount; however, it is way far from enough from the aspect of long-term demand," he added.

China's Belt and Road Initiative and the Juncker Plan share a lot in common: their synergies would contribute to increased investment and promote growth and eventually benefit people, he said.

To ensure EU-China cooperation continues to work smoothly, the two parties should keep their dialogue going.

"Dialogue is vital," he said.

The EESC and the CESC have decided to hold next roundtable meeting in Beijing later this year, according to a joint statement issued on Thursday.

China proposed to launch the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, seeking to link the country with Europe through central and western Asia via the Silk Road Economic Belt and connect China with southeast Asian countries, Africa and Europe through the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

As infrastructure construction forged a vital part of the initiative, Beijing launched the establishment of the AIIB, a complement to the existing international financial system focusing on infrastructure investment. The bank started operation in January.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive body, launched the European Investment Plan in November 2014, aiming to boost Europe's economy and help decrease the double-digit jobless rate. China became the first non-EU country to announce its contribution to the plan in September 2015. Endit