ABSTRACT
Before China and the EEC (European Economic Community) – the precursor of the European Union (EU) and the European Community (EC), which both came into being in 1993 – officially connected with each other in 1975, they were significantly different entities, commanding very different resources and governed by different political institutions, and above all belonged to different ideological camps. In addition, before 1975, the EEC was seen by Chinese observers as a club of rich countries with highly developed industries, sophisticated governance institutions, relatively balanced societies and abundant treasures of civilisation. At that time, China was one of the poorest countries in the world; though rich in labour and cultural resources, the industrial base was very weak and 85 per cent of the population lived in the countryside. One of the commonalities between China and Europe is that both claim long, civilised histories and take pride in their own cultural heritages. China was once the world’s richest agricultural civilisation, and Europe was the first to develop industrial civilisation in modern times. At different times in history, both tried hard to reach the other for wealth and glory, via the most difficult paths connecting the two continents. Until recently, this part of the history of China’s relations with Europe, though thoroughly discussed in a very influential work by Fang Hao, 1 remained legendary.
