1. Normative Power Europe on Sustainable Development
Normative Power Europe on Sustainable Development? The EU’s Engagement with China
Shaohua YAN
Asia Fellow at ESSCA School of Management
Presentation at National Taiwan University
15 March 2017, Taipei

2. Structure of Presentation
Context: EU as a normative power in global environmental politics
Sustainable development as a key norm of the EU
EU engagement with China: norms diffusion perspective
China’s perception and recognition of sustainable development
Conclusion

3. Context
Normative power: “the ability to define what passes for ‘normal’ in world politics.”(Manners, 2002)
EU as a frontrunner and global leader in international environmental politics
Norms underpinning the EU’s environmental policy:
-polluter pays principle/precautionary principle/preventative principle/environmental protection/sustainable development, etc.

4. Sustainable Development as a Key Norm of the EU
UN definition in ‘development that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’
1950s & 1960s: rapid economic expansion as the main goal in the EC
1970s & 1980s: environmental revolution
Late 1980s, sustainable development replaced environmental protection as legitimizing principle for EU environmental policy
Since 1992, sustainable development formally enshrined in EU treaties
EU Strategy for Sustainable development

5. EU Engagement with China on Sustainable Development
Informational diffusion-’the result of the range of strategic communications, such as new policy initiatives by the EU, and declaratory communications’
EU policy papers towards China
1995-’China should be engaged in dialogue and cooperation towards sustainable development and for the protection of the environment’
2001-promotion of sustainable development as ’the priority area of intervention’
2003-sustainable development listed as one of the three main goals of EU-China strategic partnership (with peace and stability)

6. EU Engagement with China on Sustainable Development
2006-special part on sustainable development, China was seen as central to ensure global sustainable development
2016-highlighted the ‘unsustainability’ of China’s old economic and social model
called for ‘universal application’ of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (adopted in 2015 UN Summit)

7. EU Engagement with China on Sustainable Development
Procedural Diffusion-involves ‘institutionalization of a relationship between the EU and a third party’
EU-China summits
EU-China partnership on Climate Change
Ongoing negotiation on trade & investment

8. EU Engagement with China on Sustainable Development
EU-China Summits: 4 joint documents on sustainable development
2005: EU-China Joint Declaration on Climate Change
2010: EU-China Joint Statement on Coordination and Cooperation on Climate Change
2013: EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation
EU-China Joint Statement on Climate Change

9. EU Engagement with China on Sustainable Development
EU Agreements with China
1985 Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation no articles on sustainable development
EU-China Partnership and Cooperation Agreement EU advocates the inclusion of commitments to sustainable development
EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investmentfully-fledged sustainable development chapter as precondition by the European Parliament

10. EU Engagement with China on Sustainable Development
Transference- happens when the EU exchanges goods, trade, aid or technical assistance with China.
European Investment Bank loans to support China’s national climate change programs
EU-China Environmental Goernance Programme

11. China’s perception and recognition
Rhetorically, China has accepted the norm of sustainable development and taken it as a key area of cooperation with the EU
2003 Policy Paper towards EU
’promoting sustainable development through poverty elimination’
2014 Policy Paper towards EU
’achieve sustainable development with a view to realizing common development and prosperity’

12. China’s perception and recognition
An evolution of China’s attitude in joint-documents
EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation
First time a chapter of sustainable development appeared in a joint document
sustainable development appeared in parallel with chapters on peace, and prosperity
sustainable development becomes one of the overarching policy objectives of EU-China cooperation qualitative change

13. Conclusion
EU is credible to be said of a normative power on sustainable development
China has been open and flexible in learning and adapting to the EU’s idea on sustainable development
A great potential for enhancing EU’s role in sustainable development in relations to China