Premier Li urges EU to fulfill WTO obligations

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C), European Council President Donald Tusk (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker co-chair the 19th China-EU leaders' meeting in Brussels, Belgium, June 2, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has used a leaders' meeting to urge the European Union to accept China's market economy status.

At the same time, the Chinese Premier is calling for maintenance of the bilateral relationship between China and the EU.

In meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Li Keqiang has suggested both sides confront growing global "uncertainties" with a stable relationship.

He also says both sides need to go with the tide of globalization, saying international trade also needs to be more fair and inclusive.

"We have agreed to continue to push forward globalization in the direction of inclusiveness, universal benefit and fairness. Globalization is still the best way forward. But we need to start taking more concrete steps to ensure that more people continue to benefit from the process of globalization."

As part of Friday's meeting in Brussels, the Chinese premier has also suggested the two sides do more to integrate their development strategies, as well as advance the negotiations on the bilateral investment treaty.

Li Keqiang has also called for increased cooperation in terms of infrastructure, information technology and internet security.

At the same time, the Premier has used the meeting to once-again press the EU to support China through the WTO's own rules.

"The EU needs to fulfill its obligations under Article 15 of the Protocol on China's Accession to the WTO, sending a signal that international rules should be respected. The EU side needs to confirm that it is drafting laws that are in line with the WTO obligations and are nondiscriminatory."

The fresh call comes just a day after Li Keqiang's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who says she believes the EU needs to fulfill its obligations under China's WTO accession protocols.

At issue is how the EU calculates anti-dumping rates when it launches investigations into Chinese imports.

Chinese authorities say the current calculation system is unfair, as it uses prices of products produced outside of China in its calculations, adding additional costs to Chinese exporters who come under EU investigations.

During Friday's meeting, Li Keqiang has suggested China and the EU can solve their trade problems through either bilateral or multilateral mechanisms.

The two sides have also discussed ways to enhance cooperation on climate change.

This, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris climate change pact.