Sino-EU ties should not be hurt by disputes
By Qin Jize and Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-16 07:10

"We should be confident our relationship has matured sufficiently to deal with any disagreement in a responsible manner, and in full confidence of the willingness of both sides to overcome these challenges," the European Commission chief said.

With regard to the environment, Barroso said it is just one area where the EU is keen to collaborate more closely with China. For example, the two should look for better ways of using existing or alternative forms of energy.

He also said the EU is ready to co-operate with China in space technology, citing a recent pact on Galileo satellite navigation, which he said will take bilateral scientific co-operation to a new level.

In another development in Washington, the House of Representatives on Thursday rejected legislation giving the president the authority to sanction European companies that sell arms to China.

The final vote was 215-203, well short of the two-thirds majority needed.

The "East Asia Security Act" was the latest of several congressional actions taken to discourage the European Union from proceeding with proposals to lift an embargo on arms sale imposed against China.