IMF clears second tranche of $337 million for Sri Lanka

 

IMF clears second tranche of $337 million for Sri Lanka 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cleared the second tranche — of about $337 million — of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to Sri Lanka, based on the debt treatment plan drawn up by the crisis-battered island nation and its bilateral creditors. With the second tranche coming in, Sri Lanka has received about $670 million of the total $3 billion it hopes to receive from the Fund, to recover from last year’s historic financial crash that put citizens through acute shortages and long power cuts, while pushing the country into bankruptcy.

The Hindu December 13, 2023 Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka’s agreements in principle with the Official Creditors Committee and Export-Import Bank of China on debt treatments are consistent with the EFF targets, the Fund has noted.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cleared the second tranche — of about $337 million — of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to Sri Lanka, based on the debt treatment plan drawn up by the crisis-battered island nation and its bilateral creditors.

“Sri Lanka’s agreements-in-principle with the Official Creditors Committee and Export-Import Bank of China on debt treatments are consistent with the EFF targets. They are an important milestone putting Sri Lanka’s debt on the path towards sustainability,” a senior official in Washington DC told a virtual press conference late on Tuesday.

With the second tranche coming in, Sri Lanka has received about $670 million of the total $3 billion it hopes to receive from the Fund, to recover from last year’s historic financial crash that put citizens through acute shortages and long power cuts, while pushing the country into bankruptcy.

Sri Lanka reaches agreement with India, Paris Club on debt treatment

In November, Sri Lanka reached an “agreement-in-principle” with India and the Paris Club group of creditors including Japan to recast its debt owed to them. China, too, is said to have agreed to treat its Sri Lanka loans on comparable terms. The government is yet to make the terms of either agreement public. “A swift completion and signature of the Memoranda of Understanding with the official creditors is important,” the IMF said.

While China, India and Japan are Sri Lanka’s top three bilateral creditors, the largest chunk of the island’s debt, accumulated through International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs), is owed to private creditors. Emphasising the need for “timely implementation” of the agreements with the official lenders, the Fund also urged Sri Lanka to reach a resolution with external private creditors “on comparable terms”.  

Meanwhile, the Fund noted that Sri Lanka has made “commendable progress” towards restoring debt sustainability, raising revenue, rebuilding reserves buffers, reducing inflation, and safeguarding financial stability. “Strong commitment to improving governance and protecting the poor and vulnerable remains critical,” the IMF said, even as scores of Sri Lankans grapple with the impact of the austerity measures taking effect.

In addition to higher, mostly across-the-board indirect taxes, citizens are struggling to keep up with spiralling utility bills, especially electricity, following a three-fold increase in rates. The Ceylon Electricity Board recently said it disconnected some five lakh power connections owing to non-payment of bills by consumers. 

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2024 Budget passed in Parliament: Vigneswaran abstained from voting.

 

adaderana.lk/ December 13, 2023 

The Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill (Budget) for the financial year 2024 was passed in Parliament today (13) by a majority of 41 votes. 

Accordingly, the 2024 Budget was passed in Parliament with 122 votes in favour of the Bill, while 81 MPS had voted against it and MP C.V. Vigneswaran abstained from voting.

Incidentally, former Minister and SLPP MP Roshan Ranasinghe was amongst those who voted against the Bill.

The vote for the Third Reading of the 2024 Appropriation Bill was held at 06:40 p.m. today.

After the vote on the Third Reading of the Budget concluded, Parliament was adjourned until 09 January 2024 by the Speaker.

The division on the Third Reading of the 2024 Appropriation Bill was held this evening (13 Dec.) following the concluding of the Committee Stage debate.

On 13 November, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, presented 2024 Budget, the country’s 78th Budget Speech, to parliament as part of the broader economic plan.

Subsequently, the debate on the second reading of the Appropriation Bill commenced the following day and continued for seven days. The second reading was passed by a majority of 45 votes with 122 parliamentarians in total voting in favour and 77 voting against it.

Following the Committee Stage debate of the Appropriation Bill for the year 2024 which was held for 19 days from November 22nd excluding Sundays, the Third Reading vote was held today.

According to the Appropriation Bill of 2024, the total government expenditure has been set at a record Rs. 6,978 billion, an increase of nearly 33% compared to 2023.

Meanwhile, the budget deficit for the fiscal year 2024 is estimated at Rs. 2,851 billion or 9.1 as a percentage of the GDP. This is higher than the revised 8.5% of GDP in the current year. The original target for 2023 was 7.9%.

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இந்திய ரணகளத்தில் ரகளை!

 

Major security breach in Lok Sabha on Parliament attack anniversary, visitors jump from gallery, burst canisters

Dec 13, 2023, 01:43PM IST Source: TOI.in

There was a scary breach of security in the Lok Sabha on the 22nd anniversary of Parliament attack. Two visitors who were in the visitors’ gallery, jumped into the Lok Sabha and burst some gas canisters, leading to smoke in the House. The House was immediately adjourned as MPs rushed for safety. The two attackers have been detained.

Two unidentified men entered the MP chambers in India’s lower house of parliament on Wednesday and threw smoke bombs in a major security lapse.

independent.co.uk/asia/india/ 13-12-23

Two men jumped into the well where lawmakers were sitting during the zero hour from the visitors’ gallery and opened smoke canisters, filling the space with yellow smoke.

Prime minister Narendra Modi was not in parliament at the time.

The apparent security breach comes on the 22nd anniversary of a deadly 2001 terrorist attack on parliament that killed 14 people, including security officers and five gunmen.

Live televised footage of the proceedings showed lawmakers stunned by the incident attempting to catch the men as they climbed from desk to desk.

Both Houses were adjourned briefly moments later.

Two suspects have been taken into custody following the security breach, police said.

Two more people, a man named Anmol from Maharashtra and a woman named Neelam from Haryana, were detained from outside the parliament complex for staging a protest and opening a smoke bomb.

Police said they are trying to ascertain if the two incidents are linked.

“Both of them have been nabbed and the materials with them have also been seized. The two people outside the parliament have also been arrested by police,” said Om Birla, Speaker of the lower house, known as Lok Sabha.

An investigation has been launched into the incident and instructions have been passed to the Delhi Police, he added.

“In the primary investigation, it has been found that it was just smoke and there is no need to worry about the smoke,” he said.

Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, who took control of the two men who intruded, said they heard the commotion during the last moments of zero hour.

“He had something in his hand which was emitting yellow-coloured smoke. I snatched it away and continued throwing it outside... This is a major security breach,” Mr Aujla said.

BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal, who was presiding over the session, told reporters: “There is a loophole for sure. When the first person came down, we thought he might have fallen but when the second person started coming down, all of us became cautious.”

“The person tried to open his shoes and took something out after which smoke came out. Action will be taken against this. The Speaker and responsible people will make the decision on this.”

“On this day, India‘s parliament has been attacked again,” lawmaker Karti Chidambaram told reporters outside parliament.

Members in the Lok Sabha said the suspects shouted the slogan ‘tana shahi nahi chalegi’ (dictatorship will not be tolerated).

On 13 December 2001, five heavily armed terrorists breached the security of parliament complex and opened fire indiscriminately, targeting security personnel and lawmakers in a standoff that went on for hours. The attack resulted in the deaths of nine people, including eight security personnel, and five terrorists.

Earlier in the day, president Droupadi Murmu, Mr Modi and other leaders, including from the Congress party, had paid tribute to the victims of the attack.

“Today itself, we paid floral tribute to our bravehearts who sacrificed their lives during the Parliament attack and today itself there was an attack here inside the House. Does it prove that we failed to maintain a high level of security?” Mr Birla asked. He also praised MPs for their fearlessness in catching the two intruders.

The incident also comes just months after Mr Modi inaugurated the newly built parliament building, a project that cost £97m to move to a modern complex from a colonial-era building.

The triangular-shaped parliament complex is just across from the old, circular heritage building built by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1927.

But the move drew intense criticism from opposition politicians, architects and heritage experts, many of whom called the expensive project environmentally irresponsible and a threat to cultural heritage.

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GTF தமிழீழத் தனியரசை ஆதரிக்காது-பேச்சாளர்

GTF won’t support separate state, Surendiran tells MPs

 Global Tamil Forum (GTF) Spokesman Suren Surendiran yesterday (12) said that if he supported a separate state he wouldn’t have been in Sri Lanka.

The UK based GTF representative said so when SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera, a former Chief of Staff of the Navy asked him whether he supported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that waged war for a separate state in Northern and Eastern Provinces of the country.

The former Public Security Minister raised the issue at a meeting held in the Committee Room 2 of Parliament, chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

The GTF delegation is here for talks with the government and other political parties to reach post-war consensus on how to bring communities together.

Political sources said that the GTF met members of Parliament to brief them about the ongoing process. Surendiran has explained the circumstances leading to them seeking a consensus with the Buddhist clergy as they spearheaded protests against some previous initiatives, including the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1988, meant to solve the ethnic issue.

MP Weerasekera has pointed out that the Buddhist clergy came forward whenever the unitary state of the country was threatened. Pointing out that the Buddhist clergy protected the country for the last 2500 years — a period during which we experienced 17 invasions, the Navy veteran said that the LTTE fought for a separate state.

Weerasekera said: “Terrorism is defined as killing innocents to achieve a political aim. So whether the cause for terrorism is justifiable or not terrorism cannot be justified. Although we comprehensively defeated terrorism we find that western countries allow commemoration of the LTTE.”

When MP Weerasekera asked Surendiran whether he supported the LTTE, the GTF official said that they were not for a separate state. If they were for a separate state, he wouldn’t have been here, he has said (SF)

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The Secretary-General letter to the President of Security Council invoking Article 99 of the United Nations Charter

FROM: THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

To: His Excellency Mr. Jose Javier de la Gasca Lopez Dominguez

President of the Security Council

New York

6 December 2023

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing under Article 99 of the United Nations Charter to bring to the attention of the Security Council a matter which, in my opinion, may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.

More than eight weeks of hostilities in Gaza and Israel have created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

More than 1,200 people were brutally killed, including 33 children, and thousands were injured in the abhorrent acts of terror by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023, which I have repeatedly condemned.

Some 250 people were abducted, including 34 children, more than 130 of whom are still captive. They must be immediately and unconditionally released. Accounts of sexual violence during the attacks are appalling.

Civilians throughout Gaza face grave danger. Since the start of lsrael's military operation, more than 15,000 people have reportedly been killed, over 40 per cent of whom were children. Thousands of others have been injured. More than half of all homes have been destroyed. Some 80 per cent of the population of 2.2 million has been forcibly displaced, into increasingly smaller areas. More than 1.1 million people have sought refuge in UNRWA facilities across Gaza, creating overcrowded, undignified, and unhygienic conditions. Others have nowhere to shelter and find themselves on the street. Explosive remnants of war are rendering areas uninhabitable. There is no effective protection of civilians.

The health care system in Gaza is collapsing. Hospitals have turned into battlegrounds. Only 14 hospitals out of 36 facilities are even partially functional. The two major hospitals in south Gaza are operating at three times their bed capacity and are running out of basic supplies and fuel. They are also sheltering thousands of displaced persons. Under these circumstances, more people will die untreated in the coming days and weeks.

Nowhere is safe in Gaza.

Amid constant bombardment by the Israel Defense Forces, and without shelter or the essentials to survive, I expect public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible. An even worse situation could unfold, including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into neighbouring countries.

In Resolution 2712 (2023), the Security Council "calls for the scaling up of the provision of such supplies to meet the humanitarian needs of the civilian population, especially children."

The current conditions are making it impossible for meaningful humanitarian operations to be conducted. We are, nevertheless, preparing options for monitoring the implementation of the resolution, even if we recognize that in the present circumstances, that is untenable.

While delivery of supplies through Rafah continues, quantities are insufficient and have dropped since the pause came to an end. We are simply unable to reach those in need inside Gaza. The capacity of the United Nations and its humanitarian partners has been decimated by supply shortages, lack of fuel, interrupted communications, and growing insecurity. Humanitarian personnel have joined the vast majority of Gazan civilians in evacuating to south Gaza ahead of advancing military operations. At least 130 UNRWA colleagues have been killed, many with their families.

We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region. Such an outcome must be avoided at all cost.

The international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis. I urge the members of the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. I reiterate my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. This is urgent. The civilian population must be spared from greater harm. With a humanitarian ceasefire, the means of survival can be restored, and humanitarian assistance can be delivered in a safe and timely manner across the Gaza Strip.

Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration. 

Antonio Guterres

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UN secretary-general invokes Article 99 on Gaza

Antonio Guterres warned of a deepening ‘catastrophe’ in Gaza as he called on the Security Council to act.

AJ 7 Dec 2023

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, urging the UN Security Council to act on the war in Gaza.

The rare move on Wednesday comes as the 15-member Security Council is yet to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel, Hamas and their allies.

In his letter to the council’s president, Guterres invoked this responsibility, saying he believed the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, “may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security”.

Guterres – who has been calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” since October 18 – also described “appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories”.

Article 99 is a special power – and the only independent political tool given to the secretary-general in the UN Charter – that allows him to call a meeting of the Security Council on his own initiative to issue warnings about new threats to international peace and security, and matters that are not yet on the council’s agenda.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

ஜனாதிபதியின் சிரேஷ்ட ஆலோசகராக வடிவேல் சுரேஷ் நியமனம்

 

ஜனாதிபதியின் சிரேஷ்ட ஆலோசகராக வடிவேல் சுரேஷ் நியமனம்

Colombo (News 1st)  06 Dec, 2023

ஜனாதிபதியின் சிரேஷ்ட ஆலோசகராக பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் வடிவேல் சுரேஷ் நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார்

ஜனாதிபதியின் செயலாளர் E.M.S.B.ஏக்கநாயக்கவின் கையொப்பத்துடன் இதற்கான நியமனக் கடிதம் வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

பதுளை, நுவரெலியா மற்றும் இரத்தினபுரி மாவட்டங்களின் பெருந்தோட்ட நிறுவனங்களுடனான நலன்புரி விடயங்கள், மகளிர் மேம்பாடு, சிறுவர் நலத்திட்டங்கள், தமிழ் பாடசாலைகள் உள்ளிட்ட ஏனைய பாடசாலைகள் – சுகாதார சேவைகளை மேம்படுத்துதல் போன்ற விடயங்கள் தொடர்பிலான ஜனாதிபதியின் சிரேஷ்ட ஆலோசகராக பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் வடிவேல் சுரேஷ் நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார்.

ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சக்தி சார்பில் பதுளை மாவட்டத்தில் இருந்து பாராளுமன்றத்திற்கு தெரிவான வடிவேல் சுரேஷ், இலங்கை தேசிய தோட்டத்தொழிலாளர் சங்கத்தின் பொதுச்செயலாளராகவும் பதவி வகித்து வருகின்றார். 

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Sri Lanka to receive about $600m ADB funding post-IMF approval - official

 

Sri Lanka to receive about $600m ADB funding post-IMF approval - official

 (Reuters) By Uditha Jayasinghe December 5, 2023

Sri Lanka will get about $600 million, on a staggered basis, from the Asian Development Bank after the International Monetary Fund releases the second tranche of a $2.9 billion bailout for the crisis-hit country, an official said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka is inching out of its worst financial crisis in decades, triggered by record-low foreign exchange reserves last year that saw its economy contract 7.8% in 2022.

The island's economy has been gradually stabilising after locking down a four-year programme with the IMF in March. Its first review is expected to be approved by the global lender next week, which will release a second tranche of about $334 million in funding.

Alongside the IMF programme the Asian Development Bank is likely to provide total budget support of $2 billion over the next four years, said ADB, Sri Lanka Resident Mission, Country Director Takafumi Kadono.

"I would say $500 million to $600 million budget support is what is planned (for 2024) but, again, it is subject to attainment, satisfying the policy actions, so its not free money," Kadono said in an interview with Reuters.

The bulk of the support will likely be extended next year in a combination of policy-based loans and project lending.

The first instalment of $200 million is tabled for ADB board support on Dec. 8 but will only be given to Sri Lanka after the IMF approves its first review on Dec. 12.

Another $200 million for power sector reforms is expected in 2024, along with $100 million to the water sector and $50-$70 million for the tourism sector.

An additional $100 million is earmarked in ADB support to improve access to financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, along with another $100 million to improve public finance and debt management.

Sri Lanka has to remain committed to pushing forward reforms pledged under the IMF programme, Kadono said, which include restructuring its loss-making state enterprises, reducing budget deficits and improving governance.

"These are not bandage measures. I think Sri Lanka has done a lot of that in the past so, I think it’s really time to fix the fundamentals of the economy and to address these latent weaknesses in the economy and the institutions," Kadono said.

Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by Sharon Singleton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Israel orders evacuations as onslaught on Gaza widens

 A total of 256 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, including six prisoners who died in Israeli custody.

The Israeli army’s assault is pushing further into the south of Gaza, leaving Palestinians little chance of safety.

AJ On 4 Dec 2023

Israel has ordered Palestinians to evacuate several more areas as it widens its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds.

The Israeli military declared on Monday via the social media site X that it was defining “safe areas” for Gaza civilians to minimise harm to them. However, hundreds more Palestinians have been killed since the onslaught resumed on Friday, and it is unclear where civilians might seek safety.

Al Jazeera journalists on the ground say it is difficult to heed the orders in real time, with nowhere safe remaining in the enclave.

Israel published a map on Friday, dividing Gaza into “evacuation zones” and asking people to follow their announcements for their safety. However, the maps, which include nearly 2,500 grids, have confused many, while unreliable internet and electricity make keeping updated a challenge.

On Monday, an update with three arrows pointing south was issued. The instruction came the day after the Israeli military said it had expanded its ground operation to all of Gaza, targeting “Hamas centres in all” of the enclave.

ENB Poster 051223

No safe place

The renewed bombardment follows the end on Friday of the seven-day pause in the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, which had allowed an exchange of about 105 Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

More than 15,500 people have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, in nearly two months of warfare that broke out after a Hamas cross-border raid on southern Israel on October 7 in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 240 taken hostage.

Intense air raids overnight killed more than 100 Palestinians, according to the Hamas authorities. That raises the death toll in Gaza since Saturday to more than 800.

Israel has also stepped up attacks on the city of Khan Younis in the south, which was previously designated as a safe area, leading thousands of displaced Palestinians to flee to the city.

“This comes as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes and have been displaced,” said Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.

“While the Israelis are chalking up battle plans for the southern part of the Gaza Strip, the reality is that there is no safe place in Gaza at the end of day 58 of this war.

“It is worth noting that the Israeli military has not shown huge military achievements or accomplishments, but rather what we have seen is a dire humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded inside of the Gaza Strip.”

Israel launches southern Gaza ground offensive as death toll soars

West Bank raids

Israeli security forces also continued their raids in the occupied West Bank overnight and early on Monday morning.

They targeted the cities and towns of Ramallah, Jenin, Silwad, Jaffna, Jalazoun, Qalqilya and Hebron, arresting dozens of people, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

Palestinian officials told Al Jazeera that at least two Palestinians were killed in the morning during an Israeli army raid in Qalqilya in the north.

Israeli army radio confirmed that two “gunmen” were killed and one wounded following a raid in the city.

Local sources told Al Jazeera that both bodies were taken away by the Israeli forces.

Reporting from Hebron, Hoda Abdel-Hamid said it is a common practice and that Israeli authorities are holding the bodies of 25 Palestinians killed in raids since October 7.

More than 3,500 people have been arrested, she added, and the majority are being held without charges.

A total of 256 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, including six prisoners who died in Israeli custody.

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Upcoming China-EU summit to increase mutual trust, address global challenges

 

China and the EU are partners, not rivals and our common interests far exceed differences.

By Chen Qingqing : Dec 04, 2023 

    As agreed between China and the EU, the 24th China-EU Summit will be held in Beijing on December 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Monday. Some experts believe that as it is the first face-to-face China-EU summit in the post-COVID period, the two sides will have in-depth and candid discussions on major issues and increase mutual trust in addressing global challenges. 

President Xi Jinping will meet with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Premier Li Qiang, President Charles Michel and President Ursula von der Leyen will jointly chair the summit, the spokesperson said. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with diplomats from the Delegation of the EU to China and from EU member states on Monday, emphasizing that if China and Europe choose dialogue and cooperation, camp confrontation will not form; if China and Europe choose peace and stability, a new Cold War will not be ignited; if China and Europe choose openness and win-win cooperation, there will be hope for global development and prosperity. 

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called on the two sides to adhere to mutual respect, remain calm and pragmatic and stick to strategic thinking. 

China has always viewed the development of China-EU relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, considering Europe an important pole in the process of multipolarization, supporting European integration, and supporting European strategic autonomy, Wang said.  

The 23rd China-EU summit took place in April 2022 when Chinese and EU leaders met via video link, and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and the Ukraine crisis.

This year's summit coincides with the 20th anniversary of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and the 25th anniversary of the China-EU Summit mechanism, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday. 

Xi mentioned many times that China and Europe are two major forces upholding world peace, two big markets promoting shared development, and two great civilizations promoting human progress. In his latest phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Xi said China and the EU should remain partners for mutually beneficial cooperation in a volatile and intertwined world.

China and the EU are partners, not rivals and our common interests far exceed differences. China hopes that the summit will play an important role by building on past achievements, enhance understanding and mutual trust through strategic communication, boost mutually beneficial cooperation through innovation, and discuss solutions through dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson said

President Xi Jinping

China and the EU are expected to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation through exploration and innovation, explore ideas to solve problems through dialogue and consultation, and work together to tackle global challenges, he said. 

China and the EU have resumed high-level exchanges in the post-COVID period since the end of the 2022 and maintained the momentum of engagement as leaders and officials from countries including Germany, France and Spain as well as from the European Council and the European Commission visited China over the year. Premier Li also visited Germany and France in June. 

Meanwhile, China-EU high-level dialogues in the fields of environment and climate, digital, economy, trade and strategy have been held successfully, and consultations in various fields have been advanced, injecting new impetus into the development of bilateral relations. 

The summit will be an opportunity to engage with China at the highest level and to pursue constructive and stable EU-China relations, the Delegation of the EU to China said in a statement on Monday. 

The focus of the summit will be the state of EU-China relations and international issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the situation in the Middle East, and leaders will discuss ways of ensuring a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship, as well as areas of shared interest such as climate change, food security, global health and pandemic preparedness, according to the statement. 

The EU will advocate the need to support the multilateral rules-based international order and reaffirm its approach to de-risking and economic security, it noted. 

Von der Leyen was quoted as saying in a Reuters' report in mid-November that a key goal of the EU summit with China was to "achieve a level playing field in trade in light of market distortions." 

China has been defined as a partner, competitor and systemic rival by the EU. It has also launched a so-called anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles from China recently, drawing strong opposition from the Chinese side. 

Those acts have indicated a paradox in its goal of maintaining cooperation in areas where the EU needs it while containing China and de-risking in other areas, some experts said, noting that those acts led EU into cognitive bias, and they interfered with the smooth progress of China-EU cooperation. 

"Despite the differences, China and the EU could seek more high-level consensuses by eyeing pragmatic cooperation and addressing global issues in order to push forward China-EU relations at a steady pace," Zhao Junjie, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, told the Global Times on Monday. 

For instance, the two sides can make joint efforts in promoting peace talks in both the Ukraine crisis and the Palestine-Israel conflict, and in the face of rising protectionism, they could explore more opportunities in digital and green economy, Zhao said. "In new energy cooperation, however, the EU is facing a new wave of protectionism, which may put up obstacles to China-EU cooperation." 

Xi mentioned many times that China and Europe are two major forces upholding world peace, two big markets promoting shared development, and two great civilizations promoting human progress. In his latest phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Xi said China and the EU should remain partners for mutually beneficial cooperation in a volatile and intertwined world.

"The resilience of China-EU relations means that though it seeks to contain China in some areas, it cannot tackle global issues without working with China," Zhao said, noting that China will dispel some of EU's doubts through pragmatic and reciprocal cooperation but won't compromise on some core issues. 

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