Xi's visit to boost China-EU ties

At the 16th EU-China Summit, we not only looked back on 10 successful years, but also looked ahead by agreeing on the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, which defines our cooperation over the coming decade. Agenda 2020 shows that the EU and China agree that a safe and prosperous world needs to be based on green, sustainable growth and innovation.

In Brussels, where President Xi will meet President Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Martin Schulz, we expect our leaders to further cement the ties between the EU and China. Talks will center on how to move our joint Agenda 2020 forward. We will expect updates on developments in China after the Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee and the just concluded annual session of the National People's Congress, and a discussion on how the EU can contribute to the handling of the challenges China faces - how to ensure a more balanced and inclusive growth, smooth the urbanization process and mitigate the environmental problems.

We will instil confidence in the post-crisis economic situation in Europe, and emphasize that stronger trade and investment ties with the EU are fundamental to our continued development. We expect the bilateral investment agreement, which will provide strong protection for investors and long-term market access, will figure prominently in the talks.

We also expect to underline how we can solve trade disputes through negotiation - signalling that we are conscious that our future is deeply interconnected, and that the stronger each partner is, the more it will benefit the other. International hot spots and conflicts will also be discussed, as well as issues on which we do not necessarily share the same views.

President Xi's visit to Brussels will be a boost for EU-China relations. We look forward to welcoming him.

The author is acting head of the Delegation of the European Union to China.