On February 10 and 11, 2004, China-EU Policy Documents Seminar was held in Beijing in the spirit defined at the Sixth China-EU Summit.

Last October, the Chinese government issued its first policy document on the European Union (EU) when the EU published its fifth policy document on China. Both documents put forward a package of proposals and measures designed to enhance China-EU cooperation in various fields. This seminar was aimed at jointly formulating feasible and concrete implementation measures of the documents and giving new scenarios for future development of China-EU relations by comparing policy documents of the two sides. Present at the seminar were officials from 28 government agencies, inter alia, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology and officials from the European Commission, the EU Council, EU members and 10 would-be members. Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

Zhang Yesui made positive remarks on China-EU relations, noting that this seminar was a good start made by the two sides for implementing the consensus reached at the sixth China-EU Summit. It is of necessity and significance for responsible officials of the two sides to sit together and discuss in an in-depth way the measures and approaches for implementing policies elaborated in the documents. Against the background of complicated international situation, China and the EU, as the two major forces of it, should enhance their cooperation to maintain world peace and promote common development.

The EU side said that currently China-EU relations were increasingly mature and of strategic importance. The two sides should continue to maintain and further boost this good momentum. Developing relations with China holds an important part in EU's foreign policies. The EU attaches great importance to this seminar and hopes to further advance China-EU cooperation in different areas through in-depth discussions between the two sides.