Opinions of Chinese elites on the most controversial issues affecting the EU's China policy

In 2010, China and the EU celebrated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two sides now enjoy ‘all-dimensional, multi-tiered and extensive exchanges and co-operation’. In this period of time, the bilateral political relationship has matured and evolved into the ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’, ¹ with the establishment of various mechanisms such as the China–EU Summit and China–EU Business Summit, while their trade and economic relations have become increasingly close. ² Initially the volume of bilateral trade was only US$2.4 billion, but by 2010 it had reached US$479.71 billion. In the early days of diplomatic ties, cooperation between China and the EU was limited to a few areas, but through 35 years of steady development, dialogues and cooperation have emerged in more than 50 fields. ³