EU-China Cooperation: Chinese Media Cover Cheminade and French Schiller Institute

Former French Presidential candidate Jacques Cheminade and a delegation of his party, Solidarité & Progrès, took part per video in the CPC’s July 6 World Political Parties Summit, together with political party leaders from more than 160 countries, whose central theme was: “Working Towards People’s Well Being and the Responsibilities of Political Parties.”

Cheminade was asked for comments by several Chinese media on the occasion, which Xinhuanet and People’s Daily published as follows: “Jacques Cheminade, head of the French Solidarity and Progress party, said the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative embodies a vision of global common development and win-win cooperation. In the post-pandemic era, exchanges among political parties need to focus on the future generation and the development of human society, Cheminade said, adding that those exchanges will help each other view problems from a higher perspective.”

Christine Bierre, a leading member of the French Schiller Institute, had been interviewed on July 5 for the French-language version of Xinhua, on the video conference that had just taken place with Chancellor Merkel, President Macron and President Xi Jinping. She pointed out that there are tremendous prospects for cooperation between China and the European Union (EU) in all fields, including health, digital, artificial intelligence, pollution control and space exploration, which could translate into joint action that would be very beneficial for all.

But for this to happen, Christine Bierre said, the EU would have to “drop geopolitics and agree to study China’s economic priorities: putting the welfare of the people first, fighting for the total eradication of poverty, and developing innovation as a way to achieve it.” She also pointed to the need to safeguard international law and the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the UN Charter.

Concerning the COVID-19 crisis, “Ms. Bierre considered that the needs for Sino-European cooperation were immense and urgent. In particular, she cited the fight against COVID-19 and for the establishment of real health systems in each country, the combat against famine which has been aggravated by the pandemic, and the fight for a world in which all countries have the right to achieve progress.”