EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the EU has “strong ties” with the United States. It is reported that Wang took the initiative to invite the EU to talk about relations with the U.S., which was not mentioned in the Chinese press release due to the sensitivity of the content.
According to a press release issued by the EU on Monday (Feb. 8), Josep Borrelli, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security and Vice President of the European Commission, held a video conference with Chinese Communist Party State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where they discussed EU-China relations, the fight against COVID-19 and international issues, particularly the military coup in Myanmar and the Iranian issue.
“On the initiative of the Chinese side, the two sides also exchanged views on relations with the United States. Borrelli stressed the close ties between the EU and the US. He welcomed the new US administration’s commitment to work with international partners and multilateral institutions and expressed his conviction that there is room for cooperation between the EU, China (Communist Party of China) and the US in addressing major global challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Iranian nuclear issue.” The EU’s official statement reads.
But the Chinese Communist Party’s official statement’s counterpart only reads, “The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on international and regional issues of common concern, including relations with the United States, Myanmar and the Iranian nuclear issue,” without mentioning a word about the contents of the sensitive talks between top Chinese and European diplomatic officials.
Borelli talks about EU’s concern for human rights in China while also inviting Xi Jinping to visit Europe
Borrelli stressed the need for Europe and China to discuss issues where there are differences in order to maintain a frank relationship. He reiterated the EU’s strong concern about the pressure on democracy and fundamental rights in Hong Kong, the treatment of human rights defenders and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, especially in Xinjiang.
Borrelli reiterated European Council President Charles Michel’s invitation to Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping to participate, conditions permitting, in a meeting of Chinese and European leaders in Brussels later this year, with the participation of EU heads of state and government. Wang Yi responded positively to this.
At the same Time, Borrelli also said that he plans to visit Beijing at the earliest appropriate opportunity for a regular strategic dialogue face-to-face.
Wang Yi again stonewalls human rights accountability, says Europe-China ties have strategic implications
A press release issued by the Communist Party’s Foreign Ministry said that Wang Yi called the relationship between Europe and China “beyond the bilateral sphere, with global significance and important strategic implications.
Wang also told Borrelli about the Chinese Communist Party’s views on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and human rights, saying that they should “respect each other, oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and oppose the fabrication and dissemination of lies and false information. These are the usual official statements used by the Chinese Communist Party to stall accountability, meaning that the other side is not allowed to criticize human rights in China.
The CCP press release also said that there is a lot of room for cooperation between Europe and China in many areas, including climate change, green partnership, digital partnership, raising the international status of the euro and the yuan, the Beijing Winter Olympics and the COVID-19 outbreak.
But the EU statement did not talk about the green partnership, digital partnership, the globalization of the RMB, or the Beijing Winter Olympics.
As for the Chinese statement, “Borrelli said that it is impossible to deal with global challenges such as climate change without EU-China cooperation; the European side is willing to have a frank dialogue with China to strengthen cooperation in areas such as climate change, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and sports, and to promote the process of signing and ratifying the EU-China investment agreement”, the EU also did not talk much about it.
The EU is an important U.S. ally that the Chinese Communist Party wants to draw in
The European Union is an important force that the Chinese Communist Party must win over in its fight against the United States. Earlier this year, the CPC reached a bilateral investment agreement between the EU and China before Germany stepped down from its EU presidency.
President Joe Biden has not yet laid out a clear policy toward China, but in a foreign policy speech at the State Department last week, he said the Chinese Communist Party is the “most formidable competitor” the United States faces. Biden said he wants to “confront China’s economic misdeeds, resist China’s offensive and coercive behavior, and counter China’s offensive on human rights, intellectual property and global governance.”
In addition, new U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with CNN on Monday (8) that former President Trump‘s tough policy on China was the right thing to do; the Biden Administration will seek to build “strong” relationships with allies to jointly contain China (Chinese Communist Party).
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