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Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
"golden era." The situation is complicated by the fact that there are no signs of consensus along
this track either among leading EU member countries or within EU institutions as such.
The issue of granting China market economy status has become one of Beijing's priorities in
the so-called economic diplomacy and is invariably present on the agenda of the country's lead-
ership's meetings both with Brussels representatives and with the heads of leading European
countries: Germany, Italy, France, and Great Britain. The latter, without committing themselves,
always promise China to "work" on Brussels, but there are no signs of any progress yet. No
doubt, the EU has a great deal to do and there is very little time left. Nevertheless, Brussels
should decide soon to what extent it is willing fulfill the obligations to China that it assumed in
2001.