Fourth bilateral pillar

For years, the CPC's ability to govern the country has benefited from frequent exchanges with political parties in developed and developing economies. High-level party exchanges between China and Europe could possibly become the fourth pillar in bilateral relations, after politics, economy and trade and person-to-person exchanges.

Wang Jiarui (R), minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, meets with Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament, Nov 9. Wang led a group of 45 people to attend the three-day China-Europe High-Level Political Parties Forum in Brussels, Nov 7 to 9. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Joseph Daul, chairman of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) is another European political figure to have sensed the CPC's greater openness. "The continuous dialogue with China over recent years has led to constructive commitments on both sides," said the Frenchman, who added that the frequent exchanges have helped both sides gain a deeper understanding of their mutual aspirations.

For the CPC, the increase in exchanges with political parties across the world serves two main purposes. First, to learn from the experiences and, especially, the failures of ruling parties in governing in a globalized world,; and second, to deepen its understanding of urgent global challenges.

Daul said there are many issues - climate change, the use of resources and international market regulation, among them - that can only be resolved through global cooperation.

He said it is crucial to have a regular and open exchange of views between European political parties and the Chinese leadership, based on mutual trust and close contacts, while maintaining their own systems. "Our development models are different. We believe in a pluralist system of different democratic parties with different philosophies and concepts to develop our societies."

In 2010, China and the Europeans established a high-level dialogue mechanism for party exchanges and Daul has attended most of the closed-door discussions on the financial crisis, climate change and party and state governance.

He said the exchanges are fruitful and he is looking forward to seeing how the new CPC leadership will continue to deepen dialogue and cooperation with the European counterparts.

"We hope that further progress can be made in different fields. We are optimistic that the new leadership will continue its reform policies and will reinforce our partnership," he said. "A strategic partnership and full respect for the idea of stability and predictability in our relations is what we envisage."

Misrepresentation

Despite these positive comments, Glyn Ford, a former member of the European Parliament and leading member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats said Europeans must continue to rebalance their mindsets when exchanging ideas with CPC members.

He said the International Department of the CPC makes strenuous efforts to engage European parties in political dialogue. "The European parties participate in these dialogues on a regular basis but the difficulty is that minds don't always follow bodies," he warned.

Ford also said that attitudes toward China continue to be hampered by misrepresentation and misconceptions that often have a political motive, and that sometimes the European attitude is perplexing: "While wanting Chinese help to resolve Europe's ongoing financial crisis, Brussels is threatening to start a trade war with Beijing," he said.

Both sides should continue with their exchanges: "Certainly, this is a forum that should not be neglected. With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament has become a central player in trade policy," said Ford, adding that the parliament's international trade committee has the potential to be come more powerful than the US Senate in issues such as trade. "Thus, although it is difficult political terrain, it is one which China must continue to engage," he added.