ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(78)663
Vol.1978/0254

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COMMISSION OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM (78)665 final .
Brussels .27November 1978 .
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TOTHE COUNCIL
Community exhibition inChina
COM(78 )663 final

Commission Communication tothe Counoil
Subject ;Community exhibition inChina .
1.TheCouncil 'sWorking Party onFairB andExhibitions hasbeen discussing
theidea ofaCommunity exhibition inChina since 1975 (*)• Although an
agreement inprinciple hasemerged ontheadvisability oforganizing
such anevent ,thepolitical importance ofthis question issuch that
theDelegation ofoneMember State has suggested that aposition should
beadopted atahigher level .
TheCommission therefore proposes totheCouncil thefollowing t
\ . . 1*i)that afirm decision betaken tohold aCommunity exhibition inChina )
ii)that theexhibition should gobeyond thepurely informative andBhould
inolude forcertain advanoed sectors industrial equipment presented by
the Member States .
2.Nature and subjects ofthe exhibition
From theoutset ,theCommission andcertain Member States have favoured
theidea ofanexhibition whioh ,inaddition toaninformation section
(tobeorganized bytheCommission alone )onthedevelopment ofthe
Community ,would also include aseotion ontheprogress made bytheMember
States inthematter ofadvanced technology .This .seotion would beprepared
with thecooperation oftheMember ftates .
Most oftherepresentatives oftheMember States intheWorking Party ,
however ,areinfavour ofaninformation exhibition illustrated with photos ,
models ,drawings andfilms .Such anexhibition would illustrate thenature
anddevelopment oftheEuropean Community ,andatthesame time two-thirds
oftheexhibition would bedevoted tothedevelopment ofadvanced technology
andresearch ,oonoentrating onthesectors inwhich theCommunity hasmade
aspeoial effort • V
(«)Working papers SEC(77)3603 of14Ootober 1977 andSEC(78 )1383 of
31Maroh1978 .

Themajorityoftherepresentatives oftheMemberStateswereagainst
exhibitingproducts,sincemostofthemembercountrieshaaalreadyheld
largotradefairsinChina(orplannedtodosointhefuture).The
EmbassiesofMemberStatesinPeking,consultedbytheWorkingParty,
wereinfavouroftheideaoforganizingaCommunityexhibitioninChina.
Theypreferredaanallphotomontage-type exhibition(5°0~TOOm),which
wouldvisitseveralChinesetownsjthesubjectwouldbethegrowingunity
ofEurope,includingcooperationprojects,particularlyinthefieldof
advancedtechnologyandresearch.
AttitudeoftheChineseGovernment
Asearlyas1976,theChineseGoverrmenthasgivenitsagreementinprinciple
totheideaofaCommunityexhibitioninChina.Theylatelyhaveexpressed
theopinionthatanexhibitionofphotosandmodelswithoutequipmentwould
beoflessinteresttotheChinesevisitor.Theyalsothoughtthatasurface
2areaof700mappearedonthesnailBidecomparedtoexhibitionsheldin
thepastbyindividual MemberStates.
OpinionoftheCommission
TheCommissionisoftheopinionthatsincethisistheCommunity'sfirst
exhibitioninChina,andgiventheimportancewhichtheChineseauthorities
attachtotheCommunityatpoliticallevel,theCommunitycannotpresent
itselfinaformwhichwouldbeintooobviouscontrastwiththerolewhich,
intheeyesoftheChinesepublic,theCommunityplaysintheworld.
Moreover,atatimewheniti$China'sintentiontodevelopitstradewith
Europe,itisimportantthatthelattershouldshowwhatitiscapableof
inadvancedsectors.Anexhibitionlikethiswouldofcoursebevisitedby
technicalspecialists andpersonsofresponsibility intheeconomywho,if
theyareinterested ,canbringtobearacertainamountofinfluenceon
purchasingdecisions.
Consequently ,BinceitisconsideredadvisabletoholdanexhibitioninChina,
itisimportanttomakesurethatitssizeandcontentmeasureuptothe
objectives.InadditionottheusualinformationmaterialontheCommunity,
theexhibitionshouldinclude,forcertainadvancedsectors,industrial

-3-
equipmentpresented ,"bytheMemberStates.Anexhibitionofthiskind
wouldalsoprovidetheopportunitytoarrangeanumberofseminarsaimed
directlyatrepresentatives oftradeandindustryinChina.
IncasetheCouncildeoidestohold,aCommunityexhibitioninChina,a
requestforaspecialbudgetwillinaccordancewithpracticeforspecial
eventsofthiskindb®introducedasanitemunderbudgetaryposition
27.21.