China has announced plans to postpone the original Dec. 1 meeting in Lyon, France, China and the European Union summit in 2008. Paris regrets that statement, but presidential spokesman Chartres in France on the 26th that "to ignore Beijing's stance, French President Sarkozy will be held on December 6 as planned in Poland to meet the Dalai Lama." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on this response to a reporter's question that involves the Tibet issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, involving China's core interests. China is firmly opposed to foreign leaders with the Dalai Lama in any form of contact. EU experts to accept an interview with Deutsche Welle reporters when alluding to the Chinese attitude at that time than on the more intense Merkel, worried about China-EU relations which will be a nose-dive.
EU-China relationship between this year has more than once into a state of tension. Brussels Center for European Policy Studies in Asia adviser for Deutsche Welle Bell Trajkovski said that the EU summit on the abolition of the Chinese side is not completely ready, "China has always stressed that other countries should not interfere in its internal affairs, especially in the Dalai Lama and Tibet On. September 2007 German Chancellor Angela Merkel met the Dalai Lama, on the Sino-German diplomatic storm caused. "
Merkel and Sarkozy are both important countries in the European Union leaders, however, Sarkozy also both the current EU presidency identity. This summer, Sarkozy did during the Olympic Games in a meeting with the Dalai Lama, but arrangements for the First Lady Bulv Ni in a non-market activities of the contract to meet the Dalai Lama.
China-EU Summit and the European Union is China's highest-ranking official of the regular communication mechanisms, once a year alternately in Europe and held in Beijing this year is the 11th, "a close and expansion of relations with China, over the years has been the EU's foreign economic and security policy The important issue. Summit of the China-EU cooperation is very important symbolic meaning. Postponed a high-level meeting in Beijing to convey the message that the territorial sovereignty of China is an unshakable principle, if the other side can not accept, and would rather work with the European Union to freeze the level of Relationship. "
Trajkovski Bell believes that the key question is whether the two sides on a new plan to the summit to reach agreement. Due to the approach of December, has not been possible during the year, arrangements for the new session. Next year, the Czech Republic will take over as France holds the rotating EU presidency. China-EU summit is only being postponed or canceled, and a new look at how to take the presidency.
中国方面宣布推迟原计划12月1日在法国里昂召开的中国与欧盟2008年度峰会。巴黎声明对此表示遗憾，但法国总统府发言人沙特尔在26日表示，“不理会北京的表态，法国总统萨科齐将于12月6日按照原定计划在波兰会晤达赖喇嘛”。
中国外交部发言人秦刚就此回答记者的问题时表示，涉及西藏的问题事关中国的主权和领土完整，涉及中国的核心利益。中国坚决反对外国领导人同达赖进行任何形式的接触。欧盟专家接受德国之声记者采访时暗指中国这次的态度比那时对默克尔更激烈，担忧中欧关系将由此陷入低谷。
欧盟与中国之间的关系今年以来已不止一次陷入紧张状态。布鲁塞尔欧洲政策研究中心的亚洲问题顾问贝尔科夫斯基对德国之声表示，欧盟对中方取消峰会并不是完全没有准备，“中国一贯强调不容别国干涉其内政，尤其在达赖喇嘛和西藏问题上。07年9月德国总理默克尔接见达赖喇嘛后，就引起了中德外交风波”。
默克尔和萨科齐同是欧盟重要国家领导人，不过萨科齐还兼有本届欧盟轮值主席的身份。今年夏天，萨科齐没有在奥运会期间会见来访的达赖喇嘛，而是安排第一夫人布吕尼在一次民间活动场合同达赖喇嘛会面。
中欧峰会是中国和欧盟官方最高级别的定期沟通机制，每年一次轮流在欧洲和北京举行，今年应是第11次，“密切和扩展与中国的关系，多年来一直是欧盟对外经济和安全政策的重要议题。峰会对中欧合作的象征意义很重大。因此推迟这样一个高级别会议，北京要传达的信息是，领土主权是中国不可动摇的原则，如果对方不能接受，宁可冻结与欧盟工作层面的关系。”
贝尔科夫斯基认为，关键的问题是，双方能否就新的峰会计划达成一致。由于临近12月，已没有可能在年内安排新的会期。明年，捷克将接替法国担任欧盟轮值主席。中欧峰会是仅仅被推迟还是取消，也要看新的轮值主席采取怎样的态度。
