Background: Chronology of China-EU Summit

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Now let's take a brief look at a chronology of the China-EU summits in recent years.

Jan. 1998

The EU proposed holding a China-EU summit and set up a regular meeting mechanism.

Apr. 1998

The 1st China-EU Summit was held in London. China and the EU vowed to forge steady, long-term ties and decided to hold the meeting annually.

Oct. 2003

The sixth China-EU Summit kicked off in Beijing. The two sides decided to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Sep. 2006

At the 9th China-EU Summit in Helsinki, Finland, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed a draft cooperative agreement for the new China-EU partnership.

Nov. 2007

The 10th China-EU summit in Beijing agreed to set up a vice-premier-level dialogue mechanism on the economy and trade.

May 2009

The 11th China-EU Summit opens in the Czech capital of Prague, after being postponed from December in France.