sustainability now that is one of the
key words popping up again and again in
the european commission's trade policy
review
published today well it also takes
center stage in eu
china trade relations the recently
signed investment deal is
highly controversial but bilateral
business is booming
making china the eu's biggest trading
partner
daimler sold nearly 775 000 vehicles in
china last year
twice as many as they sold in the u.s
during that period
vw sells almost one in two of its cars
in the people's republic
for years china has been the most
important car sales market in the world
but now the country has also become the
eu's most important trading partner
overall according to eurostat
european countries shipped nearly 203
billion euros to china last year
in addition to cars this included
machinery and agricultural products like
pork
china meanwhile shipped 384 billion
euros worth of goods to the eu
including computers clothing and medical
products like face masks
that leaves the eu with a trade deficit
with china amounting to 181 billion
euros
china is currently profiting from the
trade dispute between washington and
brussels
former u.s president donald trump had
not only imposed harsh tariffs on china
but also on certain imports from the eu
like aluminium and steel
commerce between china and the eu is
projected to increase
at the close of last year the two
reached a new trade deal
but many economists say caution is still
needed even as economic ties become
stronger china is still discriminating
against foreign companies in the
awarding of contracts
stealing intellectual property and
copying products
for more i'm joined now by bernd lange
he's member of the european parliament
and chair of par the parliament's trade
committee from the socialist and
democrats group so it's good to have you
with us uh before we talk a little bit
about eu china relations uh first of all
why does the european union need a new
trade strategy to start off with
hello monica yes i think it's totally
clear that the old-fashioned
trade policy so just cutting down
any tariffs and any uh
trade barriers is not appreciated to the
uh challenging we are faced with like
climate change
like workers right like sustainability
so the european union has a big
really uh tool in the trade policy and
we should use it
in a proper way and therefore it's
really important to have a new
strategic approach looking on recovery
on transformation
in the direction of a green deal looking
for
a fair and sustainable globalization
and looking also in a proper manner to
make
the european union more proactive
and resistance against the tax when you
when you say
fair and sustainable because
sustainability is one of the big key
words there
how fair and how sustainable is the eu
china comprehensive agreement on
investment
look we have to build a
common china strategy with different
elements
one part is the china investment
agreement
of course it's mainly dealing with
investment now that's for sure
market access on some rules but also
with a sustainability chapter in but
this will not change the political
system in china so
we have also some other instruments
looking on human rights violation
looking on forced labor production
but in the kai and the investment
agreement
there are some clear commitments by the
chinese government
and now it's up to the parliament to
make this
little bit more sharpen a little bit
more binding we need really an
implementation plan
to prohibit for example forced labor in
line with the ilo convention 105.
and do you fear that this investment
deal right now could stand in the way of
closer relationships with the united
states because the new president joe
biden certainly
would like to see a joint china approach
of course there are a lot of common
interests no doubt about and
we will build up a task force on the
china relation
but of course the united states is doing
also
some politic activities
without consulting the european union
and
secondly uh this china investment
agreement is quite similar to the phase
one agreement
the united states had concluded with
china
but now let's see we have won more than
one year
in the ratification process in this year
i think we can
formulate some common policy towards
china and of course there are a lot of
items besides the investment agreement
on the question
standards for digitalization on
intellectual property rights
which are in common interests so i think
this is not a harm against common policy
with the united states
now business interests as we all know
often clash with human rights issues
environmental concerns
how much leverage does trade policy
actually have to be both fair and
sustainable
while also being profitable
yeah but i think trade policy
is the most powerful tool
all other elements on foreign policy
are quite weak with trade policy
we can introduce measures but of course
based on universal agreements so the ilo
conventions or labor rights
or the un environmental standards or the
paris
climate agreement these are universal
agreed
standards and these standards have to be
implemented also by trade policy and i
think
there's no rational argument against
this
and we have some examples where this
powerful tool could really be useful in
implementing this universal standards
and last question again on the
investment deal you said
it's going through the ratification
process what chances
uh does the deal have to be ratified by
the european parliament and what
elements what are the key elements that
need to change for you to vote in favor
so it will take a long time i think the
council will
even sign the deal at the beginning of
next year so there's a lot of time to
analyze and
also to add
some necessary addition to the
agreement so we want to have not
only the obligation in the deal we want
also a clear implementation binding
implementation process
we want to have a monitoring process and
we have
on to have also clear enforcement
regulations and this is a lot
of things to do um by the way
the uh deal with the united kingdom
might be also some
hints for uh further improvement of the
china deal and
we will work during this year again
that deal took quite a while i hope you
don't take your lead from that one
ben lange mep and chair of the european
parliament's trade committee thank you
so much
you