Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) European commission head Ursula von der Leyen admits the EU is “concerned” by “what is behind” China’s return to the global stage.
Speaking on Thursday, she said, “Defining a European strategy towards China – defining what success looks like – must start with a sober assessment of our current relations and of China’s strategic intentions.”
Her comments come in the wake of President Xi’s visit to Russia where he met Vladimir Putin.
In a long speech, she said, Our relationship with China is far too important to be put at risk by failing to clearly set the terms of a healthy engagement. It is clear that our relations have become more distant and more difficult in the last few years.
“We have seen a very deliberate hardening of China’s overall strategic posture for some time. And it has now been matched by a ratcheting up of increasingly assertive actions.”
She said there was a stark reminder of that last week in Moscow during President Xi’s state visit.
“Far from being put off by the atrocious and illegal invasion of Ukraine, President Xi is maintaining his ‘no limits friendship’ with Putin’s Russia.”
The comments on EU-China relations were made to the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the European Policy Centre.
The commission president said, “But there has been a change of dynamic in the relationship between China and Russia. It is clear from the visit that China sees Putin’s weakness as a way to increase its leverage over Russia.
“And it is clear that the power balance in that relationship – which for most of the last century favoured Russia – has now reversed. Most telling were President Xi’s parting words to Putin on the steps outside the Kremlin when he said: ‘Right now there are changes, the likes of which we have not seen for 100 years.
“And we are the ones driving these changes together.’
As a permanent member of the Security Council, she said China has a responsibility to safeguard the principles and values that lie at the heart of the UN Charter.
China has a responsibility to play a constructive role in advancing a just peace, she noted.
“But that peace can only be just if it is based on upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Ukraine will define the terms of a just peace, that requires the withdrawal of invading troops. Any peace plan which would in effect consolidate Russian annexations is simply not a viable plan. We have to be frank on this point.
“How China continues to interact with Putin’s war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward. And of course, China itself has also taken a more assertive stance in its own neighbourhood. The show of military force in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and at the border with India, directly affect our partners and their legitimate interests. We also underscore the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
“Any weakening of regional stability in Asia, the fastest growing region in the world, affects global security, the free flow of trade and our own interests in the region.”
Von der Leyen added, “The grave human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang are also a cause for great concern, as laid out in the recent report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. How China meets international obligations regarding human rights, will be another test for how – and how much – we can cooperate with China.”
Commenting on the speech, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer says: “Any new tools that can have a significant impact on EU-China trade or investment flows need to be carefully assessed and discussed with business.”
“We recognise the complexity and challenges of EU-China relations. Decoupling is not a solution to address the problems such as asymmetries in market access and the increasing politicisation of China’s economy. The EU must engage with China in areas of common interest like climate change and standardisation.At the same time, the EU needs to build more resilient supply chains and mitigate risk. Any new tools that can have a significant impact on EU-China trade or investment flows, in particular on outbound investment, need to be carefully assessed, and discussed with business.”
