Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and EC Vice-President Josep Borrell on March 24, after which the two sides issued a joint statement agreeing to restart the China dialogue between the United States and the European Union.
On October 23, 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a conference call with Borrell. During the meeting, the two sides launched a new bilateral dialogue on China between the European External Action Service and the U.S. Department of State.
At the Time, Borrelli and Pompeo welcomed the launch of the dialogue as a dedicated forum for European and American experts to discuss all issues related to China. On Wednesday, Blinken, who was visiting the Belgian capital Brussels for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, held talks with EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Borrelli. After the meeting with Borrelli, Blinken issued a joint statement announcing the resumption of the U.S.-European dialogue on China.
The statement said, “On March 24, Blinken and Borrelli met in Brussels to discuss ways to strengthen the U.S.-EU relationship and coordinate responses to priority foreign policy, security and economic issues. They also pledged to cooperate in the face of global challenges, including addressing the global climate crisis, ending the New Coronavirus pandemic, promoting sustainable economic recovery, and defending democratic values and fundamental freedoms, including within multilateral institutions. During the meeting, the two sides decided to restart bilateral dialogue with China as a forum to discuss relevant challenges and opportunities in a comprehensive manner. They acknowledged the mutual recognition that the relationship with China is multifaceted and includes elements of cooperation, competition and systemic adversaries. They also decided to continue to meet at the senior official and expert level within the framework of the dialogue to discuss such topics as reciprocity, including economic issues, resilience, human rights, security, multilateralism, and climate change, among other areas of constructive engagement with China.”
The statement said, “Secretary Blinken and High Representative Borelli affirmed that credible multiparty democracy, protection of human rights, and adherence to international law support stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The two sides aim to work together to promote secure, sustainable, free and open maritime supply routes and supply chains, and look forward to deepening cooperation with like-minded partners where interests and approaches converge. The two principals also discussed the U.S.-EU partnership on climate action and the ambition to work together to raise global ambition to put the world on a path to net zero emissions by 2050.”
After describing U.S.-EU cooperation on topics such as the response to the CCP virus outbreak and international vaccine distribution mechanisms, the Iran nuclear deal, attitudes toward Russia, and cooperation in the Western Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean, the statement concluded by emphasizing that “Secretary Blinken and High Representative Borrelli expressed support for continued NATO-EU cooperation. They agreed that NATO and the EU need new approaches to cooperation and new ambitions, as the multiple and evolving security challenges facing NATO allies and EU member states make strong NATO-EU cooperation essential to our common security. The two principals recalled that capabilities developed through EU and NATO defense initiatives should remain coherent, complementary and interoperable.”
They also noted that EU defense initiatives should enhance the European contribution to transatlantic security and can provide concrete opportunities for cooperation between the EU and the United States,” the statement said. With this in mind, the principals supported the fullest possible U.S. participation in EU defense initiatives and enhanced dialogue on these issues.”
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