Panel: Why marking 50 years of China-EU diplomacy matters

China and the European Union will soon reach a milestone: 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties. Over the past five decades, trade between the two sides has expanded from $2.4 billion to $780 billion. Two-way investment has increased from almost zero to nearly $260 billion. President Xi Jinping has said that when the world becomes more challenging and complex, China and the EU have more reasons to renew their purpose in establishing diplomatic ties and strengthen strategic communication.

Will the two sides have the capacity and wisdom to remain each other’s trustworthy partner despite their differences? Host Ding Heng is joined by Christis Tombazos, Associate Professor at Monash University; George Tzogopoulos, Director of EU-China Program at CIFE, a European research organization; Einar Tangen, Senior Fellow at Taihe Institute.