As Brussels prepares for the visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping, the Parliament Magazine takes a look at relations between the two powers. Commission president José Manuel Barroso says that "Over the past 10 years, the EU-China relationship has grown tremendously. We have become more interconnected and we have increased our coordination." The Portuguese official highlights cooperation in areas "such as Iran or the fight against piracy", where he feels that the EU and China's "joint efforts can make a real contribution to global security". China's ambassador to the EU Yang Yanyi writes that Beijing "stands ready to consult fully and effectively with the EU on major bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern".