A Joint Declaration was signed on March 1999 between the European Union (EU) and China giving their full political endorsement to the strengthening of energy cooperation at institutional, policy, scientific, technological, commercial and industrial level. The cooperation will be strengthened through : maintaining a permanent and effective dialogue on energy issues of mutual importance; creating the conditions for facilitating an increased presence of EU energy companies in China, and viceversa, including policy, legal, regulatory and fiscal aspects; continuing jointly supporting exchanges between the two sides, training courses, workshops, seminars and studies; taking full advantage of the new opportunities offered by the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and China signed in December 1994.