2021年1月13日，中國駐歐盟使團團長張明大使在《南華早報》發表署名文章《一份高水平的投資協定將為中歐合作帶來更有力制度保障》，全文如下：
中歐投資協定歷經35輪馬拉松式談判，成功撞線。我對這一裡程碑式的成果感到高興和鼓舞，我要向過去七年多來參與、關心、支持談判的同事和朋友們表達敬意和感謝。
毫無疑問，這是一份足夠好的協定，將為中歐合作注入新的動力。在大家最關心的市場準入領域，協定對標國際高水平經貿規則，採取了準入前國民待遇加負面清單模式。中方首次在包括服務業和非服務業在內的所有行業以負面清單形式作出承諾。歐方也對中方承諾其較高的市場準入水平。
協定製定了平衡、全面的公平競爭規則，涉及國企、補貼透明度、技術轉讓、標準制定等多項重要議題，所有規則都雙向適用，將有助於營造更高水平、更可預期的營商環境，讓企業可以安下心來長期興業投資。
協定對與投資有關的環境、勞工問題作出專門規定，體現了新的發展理念，展現了雙方遵守相關國際承諾的態度與決心。協定將促進有利於實現可持續發展目標的投資，處理好吸引投資與保護環境和勞動者權益的關係。雙方還堅定承諾落實《巴黎協定》，共同應對氣候變化。
協定著眼於為中歐投資合作提供更有力的制度保障，將有力改變中歐投資流量及存量與中歐龐大貿易規模不相稱的局面，推動中歐資本和創新要素實現更為緻密的整合，推進彼此發展戰略對接。
協定的達成也從一個側面印證了中歐全面戰略夥伴關係的成熟、獨立和韌性。近年來國際政治經濟關係發生深刻複雜變化，2020年尤其是一個極其艱難的年份。但中歐在疫情中逆勢前行，相繼籤署地理標誌協定、如期完成投資協定談判，再次證明中歐合作遠大於競爭，共識遠多於分歧。協定也再次釋放了中歐共同維護多邊主義、捍衛以規則為基礎的開放型世界經濟的積極信號，必將增強國際社會對經濟全球化和自由貿易的信心。
2021年是全球經濟疫後復甦的關鍵節點。中國14億人口的龐大市場將迎來新一輪開放發展、提質升級的嶄新機遇，歐盟經濟復甦計劃蓄勢待發，綠色、數字新政齊頭並進，這為中歐進一步深化各領域合作提供了很大空間。我們要只爭朝夕，積極穩妥推動協定完成後續工作，讓中歐工商界和廣大民眾早日從中受益。
當然，協定不是解決中歐所有經貿問題的萬能鑰匙。中歐發展階段不同、國情各異，但只要我們堅持平等協商、尊重包容，就可以找到妥善應對分歧挑戰的辦法。只要我們堅持全面戰略夥伴定位，聚焦合作正能量，中歐在攜手應對全球性挑戰、維護多邊主義方面就一定能幹成很多事情。我願和大家一道為之努力，不斷釋放中歐合作的紅利。
After 35 rounds of talks, the marathon negotiations on the China-EU investment agreement passed the finishing line last week. This encouraging landmark achievement is thanks to all our colleagues and friends who have supported the negotiations over the past seven years. To them we should give credit for an agreement that can foster certainty in uncertain times and contribute to our shared global goals of sustainability and multilateralism.
No doubt, the agreement will help to revitalize China-EU cooperation. This deal will increase EU investors』 access to a market of 1.4 billion consumers and is inspired by state-of-the-art international economic and trade rules. It establishes an FDI management system that provides pre-establishment national treatment, or equal conditions for foreign and domestic investors, as in the EU agreements with other major economies, as well as a negative list, or specific arrangements for sectors and industries, as other EU partners have. China has for the first time committed to a negative-list approach to all sectors, services and non-services alike. And the EU commits to high-level market access for Chinese investors.
The agreement sets out balanced and comprehensive rules on the level playing field, covering a wide range of important issues such as state-owned enterprises, transparency of subsidies, transfer of technology, and standard-setting. The rules apply to both parties. This could make the business environment more predictable and give investors a greater sense of certainty, which is ever more needed amidst the pandemic fallout.
As a high-standard deal, it includes specific rules on investment-related environment and labour issues. This demonstrates both parties』 commitment to international rules and new development philosophies. The agreement will encourage a kind of sustainable investment that can promote the UN SDGs, as well as strike the right balance between investment promotion and protection of environment and labour rights. On climate, both parties are firmly committed to implementing the Paris Agreement.
The agreement will establish a more robust institutional framework for China-EU investment cooperation and address the huge mismatch between China-EU investment and trade volume. The EU takes up 5% of FDI flowing into China, and China only takes up 3.4% of total FDI in the EU, while our trade volume exceeds 600 billion EUR annually. China and the EU will be able to better integrate their capital and innovation resources and build synergy between their development strategies.
The agreement showcases the maturity, independence and resilience of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. Recent years have seen profound and complex changes in the international political and economic landscape. 2020 was a particularly difficult year across the globe. Yet China and the EU have advanced their agenda against all odds, by signing the Geographical Indications Agreement and concluding the investment agreement negotiations. All of this demonstrates that for China and the EU, cooperation and convergence far outweigh competition and divergence. The investment agreement, once again, conveys a positive message of China and the EU jointly upholding multilateralism and the rules-based and open world economy, thereby boosting global confidence in economic globalization and free trade.
2021 is a crucial year for global economic recovery. China will embrace new opportunities for further opening-up and economic transformation. The EU is promoting green and digital transitions and will before long kick-start its recovery program. All this will open up a broader horizon for China-EU cooperation across the board. We must lose no time in pushing ahead with the next steps of the investment agreement, for the benefit of our businesses and citizens.
Of course, the agreement is not the panacea to all the economic and trade issues between China and the EU. Despite differences in the level of development and actual circumstances, China and the EU should address their divergences through equal-footed consultation and in a mutually respectful and accommodative spirit. With a shared commitment to partnership and cooperation, China and the EU could get much done in terms of addressing global challenges and upholding multilateralism. I stand ready to join forces with my European colleagues to translate China-EU cooperation into concrete results on the ground.