第三轮中国-欧盟工商领袖和前高官对话——联合声明

介绍

中国国际经济交流中心与欧洲企业协会于2019年11月25-26日在北京共同举办了第三轮中国-欧盟工商领袖和前高官对话。双方于2017年共同建立此对话机制，为双方工商界领袖、前高官和知名学者交流促进中欧经贸关系发展提供平台。

当前，全球经济不确定性增加，保护主义抬头，全球经济治理缺乏。在此背景下，我们举办了第三轮对话。中国和欧盟参会代表一致同意，中欧应该通过展现平等互惠的经济开放的益处，在对抗保护主义趋势中发挥领导作用。同时，双方还应实现更广泛的目标，捍卫并推动WTO及多边规则为基础的贸易体系改革，特别是创建新的规则和坚持WTO争端解决机制。对于促进贸易和投资的规则的共同理解，形成了改善全球经济治理的基石。

在此背景下，中国国际经济交流中心、欧洲企业协会以及双方工商界呼吁双方政府采取以下步骤，促进互利共赢的双边经贸关系发展。

一、  整体关系

双方与会代表强调双边关系的重要性。2019年，双边货物和服务贸易总额超过每天15亿欧元。欧盟是中国最大的贸易伙伴，中国是欧盟第二大贸易伙伴。这说明，扩大双边经贸互惠平等，消除贸易壁垒，会使双方受益良多。2019年，中欧双方签署了地理标志协议和航空协议，这都是增加经济合作机会的成功范例。双方政府应继续召开结构性对话，共同寻找解决长期问题的有效途径，建立工作计划，并在领导人峰会和高级别经贸对话中优先实施该计划。

二、  深化中欧双边关系平等互惠

双方与会代表强调，双边经济关系潜力巨大。为进一步释放潜力，中欧双方应建立互惠互利、对等开放、非歧视和公平竞争的双边经济关系，并在互利共赢的基础上确保公平的竞争环境，提升透明度。

全面投资协定（CAI）是实现上述目标的关键协议。协议应包括更具远见的条款，例如对于货物和服务领域投资的非歧视性市场准入、准入前和准入后投资保护、公平公正待遇，以及充分的投资者与国家间争端解决机制，以期为投资者提供更多的法律保障，并为中欧双方企业共同发展提供新的路径。

除双边协议之外，双方与会代表一致鼓励中欧尽力继续改善双方各自的营商环境，大幅提升投资便利化水平。

三、  强化以规则为基础的多边贸易体系

自建立伊始，WTO便作为维护全球多边的重要支柱，在促进全球自由贸易和全球经济治理方面发挥了重要作用。然而，在过去24年间，WTO在规则制定和自由化方面缺乏有效改进，现有规则已无法适应全球价值链的需求和外部环境的变化，给全球贸易体系功能的有效发挥和高效运转造成了诸多限制。

世界范围内，无论是企业、民众还是政府都需要要一个公平竞争的环境，以及推动全球贸易有序发展的现代规则体系。双方与会代表鼓励中欧双方重点加强在数字贸易、投资便利化以及产业补贴全球规则方面的谈判。此外，双方与会代表还呼吁双方政府继续努力，化解WTO上诉机构的危机，推动WTO其他方面的改革。

四、  推动可持续互联互通

互联互通通过不同的交通和通讯连接，形成了稳固的全球价值链网络。因此，加强互联互通是21世纪全球经济的重要支柱。双方与会代表认识到加强互联互通可以提供巨大的潜能。在开展互联互通项目过程中，秉持着“可持续、全面和基于规则”的理念，对促进全球的互联互通至关重要。

双方与会代表呼吁中国和欧盟遵循国际标准，加强合作，并以公平、公开和透明的方式促进互联互通投资。这是进一步促进全球经济和市场一体化的有效途径。

五、  为数字经济创建规则

第四次产业革命将进一步连接物理世界和互联网世界。各种数字设备拥有前所未有的处理和储存能力，能够轻易获取相关知识，并将数十亿人连接了起来，实现互联互通，从而释放出无穷的潜力。而人工智能、机器人、物联网、5G、量子计算等科技领域的最新突破更创造了无限的可能性。

企业是全球经济生态系统的组成部分，同时，跨境数据流动是这一生态系统中必不可少的要素。数据已经成为现代制造和服务企业的血液，许多企业均依赖跨境数据流动进行业务运作。为了充分享受数字经济带来的机遇和红利，双方与会代表强调应按照国际标准建立明确、有利的规则，以此促进数字经济的发展并进一步保护知识产权。

为此，中欧双方应共同致力于反对数字保护主义、削减数字鸿沟和打破数字壁垒，并在网络安全方面进行深度合作。合作共商对于规避分歧，形成全球价值链相关的标准和规则至关重要。

Third Annual China-EUCEO and Former Officials’ dialogue

25 & 26 November 2019, Beijing, China

JOINT STATEMENT

Introduction

the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) and BusinessEurope co-hosted the third CEO and Former Officials’ dialogue on 25 and 26November 2019 in Beijing. Both parties initiated this dialogue in 2017 in order to establish a mechanism whereby business leaders, former officials and leading academics from both sides can exchange views on how to improve the economic and trade relationship between both economies.

Thisthird edition took place within a global context of increased economic uncertainty, a rise in protectionism, and strained global economic governance. Chinese and European participants agreed that Europe and China should take leading roles in resisting tendencies toward protectionism by demonstrating the benefits of reciprocal economic openness. This should take place within the broader objective of defending and reforming the WTO and multilateral rules-based trade, especially through the creation of new rules and by upholding the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism. A common understanding on rules that facilitate trade and investment can form the cornerstone for improving global economic governance.

Against this background, CCIEE, BusinessEurope and the business communities call upon both governments to take the following steps to advance a mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.

1.    Overall relations

Participants underscored the importance of the bilateral relationship, with total trade in goods and services exceeding 1.5 billion euro per day in 2019. EU is China’s largest trading partner, whereas China is EU’s second largest trading partner. This suggests that much could be gained from a reciprocal expansion oftrade and investment and from removing barriers to trade.

The agreement on geographic indications (GIs) and the aviation agreement both signed in 2019 are successful examples of cooperation that leads to enhanced economic opportunities. Both governments should continue to engage in structural dialogue and jointly find effective ways to resolve longstanding problems, create a workplan and prioritise its execution during leadership summits and high level economic and trade dialogues.

2.    Engage in reciprocal deepening of the EU-China bilateral relationship

Participants from both sides affirmed that there is untapped potential in the bilateral economic relationship. In order to unlock this potential, the EU and China should commit to build their economic relationship based on reciprocal openness, non-discrimination and fair competition, ensuring a level playing field, transparency and be based on mutual benefit.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) is a key agreement that is meant to contribute to these objectives. It should include ambitious provisions on non-discriminatory market access for investment in goods and service sectors, pre- and post-establishment investment protection, fair and equitable treatment, and adequate investor-to-state dispute settlement. The agreement is key to provide greater legal certainty for investment and to open new avenues for EU and Chinese companies to do business together.

Besides bilateral agreements, participants of both sides encourage the EU and China to do their utmost to continue improving their respective business environments and investment facilitation dramatically.

3.    Strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system

The WTO was founded as the essential pillar to safeguard the global multilateralism intended to play an important role in promoting global free trade and economic governance. However, the lack of real evolution in rulemaking and liberalisation during the past 24 years has placed enormous strain on the functioning and efficiency of the global trading system as existing rules have not kept up with the needs of global value chains and changes of external environment.

Companies, citizens and governments worldwide require a well governed global level playing field with a system of modern rules that facilitate global trade in order to thrive. Participants encourage both the EU and China to work intensively towards negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation, and strengthening international rules on industrial subsidies. Similarly, participants also called on both governments to continue working to resolve the crisis in the WTO Appellate Body and advance other aspects of WTO reform.

4.    Advance sustainable connectivity

Connectivity forms the global nerves and veins that underpin global value chains through various transport and communications links. Improved connectivity is therefore an important pillar of the global economy of the 21^st century. Participants from both sides recognised the enormous potential that enhanced connectivity could provide. For connectivity projects to really enhance global connectivity, it is important that they are sustainable, comprehensive and rules based.

Participants from both sides call on the EU and China to follow international standards and enhance cooperation. Both sides should promote fair, open and transparent investment in connectivity. This is the way to improve further integration of the global economy and world markets.

5.    Develop rules for the digital economy

The fourth industrial revolution will link the physical world even closer to the Internet world. Unprecedented ability of diverse digital devices to handle and store information enables people to obtain knowledge easily and links billions of people together, realizing connectivity and releasing endless potentials. Breakthroughs in science and technology field, such as in AI, robot, network of things, 5G and quantum computing, present us with unlimited possibility.

Companies are part of a global economic ecosystem in which elements such as cross-border dataflows are imperative. Data forms the lifeblood of modern manufacturing and services companies and many of them rely on cross-border dataflows for their business. In order to fully enjoy the benefits and dividends from the opportunities that the digital economy offers, participants highlighted the need for clear and enabling rules that follow international standards in order to facilitate the digital economy and protect intellectual property.

Hence, both the EU and China should oppose digital protectionism, narrow digital gaps, remove digital barriers, and cooperate intensively on cybersecurity issues. Consultation and cooperation are important to avoid a diverging set of standards and regulations that fracture global value chains.