Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Union (EU) Commission, arrived here Sunday morning to attend the eighth China-EU summit in Beijing on Sept. 5, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will also participate in the summit.
During the summit, Wen and the EU leaders will exchange views on the further development of the China-EU all-round strategic partnership as well as international and regional issues of common concern, and Chinese President Hu Jintao will also meet with the EU delegation, according to the sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
In 2003, China and the EU agreed to the development of their
all-round strategic partnership. In 2004, the EU became China's largest trade partner, with a trade volume of US$177.28 billion, 33.6 percent up on a year-on-year basis. China was the second largest trade partner of the EU in 2004.