The European Union says it has agreed with China to hold summit talks soon with the aim of improving bilateral ties. Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says China is a «strategic partner» for the 27-nation bloc. He says the EU and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao decided Friday to hold a new summit soon, though no date was announced, according to a report of Associated Press. China had canceled the last scheduled summit with the EU a month ago to protest talks that were held between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Tibet's Dalai Lama. Jiabao said his talks Friday with EU officials in Brussels had «increased our mutual trust.» EU and Chinese officials also signed nine multimillion-euro (-dollar) cooperation agreements.
