China and the European Union are expected to start negotiations on a landmark bilateral investment treaty during the upcoming China-EU summit, the top EU envoy in China said.

The agreement will help China upgrade its economy and better integrate with the world economy, analysts said.

Markus Ederer, head of the EU delegation to China, told China Daily in an interview ahead of the summit on Nov 21 that the EU will make a number of proposals for new initiatives, including launching negotiations on a bilateral investment agreement.