Ukraine, trade and human rights: nothing gained at EU-Beijing summit
The Chinese continue to gloss over the possibility of mediating between Kiev and Moscow. The EU threatens to respond in case of Chinese aid to the Kremlin. Europeans demand an end to Beijing's trade boycott of Lithuania. The Union wants to relaunch human rights dialogue with the Chinese government.
Brussels (AsiaNews) - No commitment to mediation in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict; business as usual; silence on human rights. As was expected, the European Union got nothing from China in the annual summit held yesterday by videoconference.
The fact that the meeting of EU leaders with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang did not go well is evidenced by the fact that the two sides did not issue a joint statement, but only separate declarations. Not surprisingly, Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, spoke of "open and frank" talks. Translated: the two sides disagreed on everything.
Ukraine was the highlight of the discussion. The Europeans repeatedly asked Beijing to mediate between Moscow and Kiev. On the ongoing conflict, the Chinese have an ambiguous position: on the one hand, they rhetorically support Putin's positions; on the other, they remain cautious to avoid clashes with the US and the EU.
Von der Leyen said that any support to Moscow would damage the reputation of China in Europe. On this point, the EU leader was clear: "We have adopted massive sanctions that are effective. More than 40 countries in total have joined these sanctions. So we also made very clear that China should, if not support, at least not interfere with our sanctions."
Von der Leyen's reference is to US intelligence information according to which Beijing would be willing to help the Kremlin militarily and economically. In its statement, with an unusually threatening tone, the EU said that "any attempt to circumvent sanctions or support Russia by other means must be stopped." In this sense, Europe's weapon is to push its companies to leave China.
On the Ukrainian issue, Xi said China and the EU should play a "constructive role" to add stability factors to a turbulent way. In an indirect blow to Washington, the Chinese president called on Europe to follow an "independent" policy on China. On the same evasive line, Li pointed out that Beijing has promoted "in its own way" peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
If no progress has been made on Ukraine, the same can be said about Sino-European trade relations. Chinese media emphasize the stability of bilateral trade, which in 2021 reached a record 800 billion dollars. However, the EU has asked Beijing to end the unjustified trade boycott of Lithuania, imposed due to Vilnius' growing relations with Taiwan. Otherwise, the Union will pursue the complaint against the Chinese already presented to the World Trade Organization. The Europeans also continue to demand equal treatment for their companies operating in China.
Regarding the respect of human rights in China, the EU has reiterated its concerns about the condition of minorities in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, as well as the Tibetan population and the crackdown on the democratic movement in Hong Kong and Chinese human rights defenders.
European Council President Charles Michel explained that the Union insisted on the revival of the bilateral dialogue on human rights, adding that Li was willing. On the eve of the summit, however, international groups have asked the EU to suspend talks on the issue with China, which they consider unnecessary, and to initiate a "shadow" discussion with humanitarian activists who can provide a more realistic picture of Beijing's repressive policies.
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04/03/2021 09:39
