
On July 15, a reception was jointly held in the auditorium of the CPAFFC by the CPAFFC, the China-EU Association (CEUA) and the Delegation of the European Commission of the EU to welcome Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, president of the European Commission who came to visit China. At the reception, Chen Haosu, president of the CPAFFC and the CEUA, presented to him a stamp album made to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union by the CEUA and the Chinese version of Code of the European Union.
At present, China and the EU are working to build an all-round strategic partnership and have established a mechanism for multi-level political dialogues. The two sides have conducted effective communication and exchanges on major international issues. The CPAFFC and the CEUA carry out active people-to-people diplomacy with the EU countries. They help promote exchanges between China and the nongovernmental friendship organizations, local government organizations and friendly personages of various circles of the EU, further nongovernmental economic and trade cooperation, carry out unofficial cultural exchanges, and help establish friendship relations between cities and between local governments.
Ambassador Serge Abou, head of the Delegation of the European Commission, diplomatic envoys from the 25 embassies of the EU countries in China, Ambassador Guan Chengyuan, head of the Mission of China to the European Communities, former Chinese ambassadors to the EU Xia Daosheng, Ding Yuanhong and Song Mingjiang, Ma Zhenggang, director of the China Institute of International Studies and former Chinese ambassador to Britain, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries and departments concerned, personages of the business circles in China and Europe, and people from the press, totaling 120, were present at the reception. The host also arranged cultural performances with distinctive national features for the guests, which were well received.
President Barroso came to China at the invitation of the Chinese Government. Apart from Beijing, he would also visit Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao.
