A senior European Union official said on May 11 that the Taiwan issue will be given "special attention" during EU senior diplomats' meetings with Chinese officials and the EU will stick to the one-China policy.

    European Commissioner on external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said at a news briefing that the European Union "always supported the one-China policy" and the Taiwan issue will be mentioned "particularly in the light of current visit by Taiwan opposition leader James CY Soong."

    "We welcome any move to promote dialogue," she said.

    Ferrero-Waldner said that Soong's tour and last week's visit to the mainland by a delegation of Kuomintang (KMT), or the Chinese nationalist party, which is headed by party Chairman Lien Chan, are "good starting points."

    "We hope that recent contact on this level can lead to dialogue with all political parties in Taiwan," she told Chinese and overseas journalists before her meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and talks with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.

    Ferrero-Waldner, together with Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn and British Foreign Secretary's representative, British Ambassador to China Christopher Hum, started the EU Troika foreign minister's first official visit to China Wednesday. The visit marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of EU-China diplomatic ties.

    During the meetings, the EU officials will also discuss with China surging textile trade, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, EU arms embargo on China, the Myanmar situation and the reform of the United Nations.

    Hailing EU-China political and trade relations, Ferrero-Waldner said a new framework is needed to further bilateral trade and economic ties.

    "It's time to reflect the vibrancy of our relations with an ambitious new agreement that will help us move to a fully-fledged strategic partnership," she said.

    China and the European Community established diplomatic ties in 1975. The two sides agreed to forge "a comprehensive strategic partnership" in 2003.