Drawing closer, China and the European Union promised yesterday to construct what the Chinese premier called "ever more strategic" ties that will benefit both sides - including getting China involved in a multibillion-dollar European satellite geography system.

　　An EU delegation led by Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who holds the rotating EU presidency, met President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao during the Sixth China-EU Summit in Beijing yesterday.

　　"The development of the Chinese and European relationship is becoming ever more mature and ever more strategic," Wen said, meeting Berlusconi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Berlusconi praised China's economic development and rising international stature.

　　Berlusconi was accompanied by European Commission President Romano Prodi, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and other officials.

　　The EU and China are one another's third-largest trading partners. Their trade volume hit US billion last year."Europe, with its new reality, and China, with its new reforms, are two areas that can give better contributions to the changing world," Prodi said.

　　"We need to intensify our relations," Prodi said. "We must become the biggest partners. We must have the biggest relations - more than anywhere in the world."

　　China hopes a closer relationship with Europe will increase its exports and balance its global trade.

　　"It is our hope that the European Union will become our biggest partner in economic cooperation and trade," Wen said.

　　In his meeting with Berlusconi, President Hu Jintao said China always hopes to develop its relations with the EU out of strategic and long-term considerations. China agrees with the EU proposal on developing a full strategic partnership, and is ready, on the basis of mutual respect and seeking common ground while reserving differences, to promote bilateral political ties to grow in a healthy and stable way.

　　The EU and China signed an agreement to let China take part in the development of the "Galileo" system, a rival to the US-run satellite-based GPS navigation system. The agreement would allow China to have a US million stake in the program.

　　The EU hopes to have the 3.6 billion euro (US.2 billion) project operational in 2008.

　　"The agreement that was signed represents a quantum leap in terms of cooperation between the two areas," Berlusconi said.The two sides also signed an agreement saying China and the EU will consult on industrial policy so that regulations don't become obstacles to trade.

　　Wei Jianguo, vice minister of commerce, said China is willing to work with the EU to realize at an early day the goal "to become each other's largest trade and investment partner."

　　To realize the goal, Wei said China has set specific aims, for bilateral trade volume to reach 150 billion US dollars by 2007, 200 billion dollars by 2013 and 280 billion dollars by 2020.

　　EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said he hopes the two sides maintain frequent dialogue and strengthen coordination by the trade policy dialogue mechanism.

　　As to whether to grant China "complete market economy status", Lamy said the EU is working on it and will decide no later than the first half of 2004.

　　China and EU also initialed a document that will make 15 EU countries "authorized destinations" for Chinese tourists.