At the end of a three-day long negotiation, the EU and China delegations have reached an agreement on maritime transport, based on the principles of freedom to provide services, free access to cargoes, and cross-trades, unrestricted access to an non-discriminatory treatment in the use of ports. It also contains provisions for auxiliary services as well as wider range of commercial maritime questions. This agreement follows the strong commitments taken by the Vice-President of the European Commission Loyola de Palacio and the Chinese minister of Communication Huang Zhendong, in June 2001 in Beijing and September 2001 in Brussels. Being the first maritime agreement concluded at European level…
