EU-China ties depend on Beijing's approach to Ukraine war: Borrell
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The European Union's foreign policy chief says he will visit China next week.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed by European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell ahead of a meeting in Brussels on April 4 (Reuters)
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, indicated on Tuesday that the bloc will guide its ties with China based on Beijing's approach to the Ukraine war.
At a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after their bilateral meeting, Borrell said the EU must make China understand that its "position on Russia's atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations."
"China has a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace and cannot be siding with the aggressor," the top diplomat considered.
"They cannot be militarily supporting the aggression," he added.
Borrell confirmed that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who will visit Beijing on Wednesday along with French President Emmanuel Macron will convey the same message.
The EU's foreign policy chief also confirmed that he would travel to China next week.
Read more: Responsible Statecraft: China's rise assisted by EU influence decline
Macron, Von der Leyen to make significant visit to China
According to an official from Macron's office who wished to remain anonymous, the French leader hopes to talk Beijing into playing an active role to end the war in Ukraine.
Macron also intends to talk Xi out of assisting Russia in the conflict, as per the official.
"China is the only country in the world capable of having an immediate and radical impact on the conflict, in one direction or the other," the official said.
The French President will discuss the matter with the Chinese leader but will resort to "another path" than the confrontational position that the US holds concerning Beijing.
A delegation of 60 businessmen will also accompany Macron on his official trip, including the chiefs of Airbus and EDF.
Maintaining trade ties between the EU and China is also on Macron's agenda, in addition to preserving France's interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
Read more: Xi: EU must strengthen strategic independence for better China ties
'Decoupling China unviable'
Last week, Von der Leyen warned China that its approach to the Ukraine war would determine ties but said Europe was not looking to break away from Beijing.
"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," she said then.
However, the EU commission chief said it "is neither viable -- nor in Europe's interest -- to decouple from China," adding, "We do not want to cut economic, societal, political and scientific ties," but it is important to "rebalance" the trade between the two parties "on the basis of transparency, predictability and reciprocity."
The US' 'little brother'
"The way China positions itself on the war in Ukraine is a disappointment for Europe," a European diplomat in Beijing told AFP.
However, the diplomat considered it unlikely that Beijing would change its position as it sees the EU as "the United States' little brother."
But resuming meetings between the two parties is a positive development, she added.
Chinese-European trade balance in a bad state
Joerg Wuttke, the head of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, considered that the Chinese-European trade balance is in a bad state.
"Our sales are miserable," Wuttke told AFP.
"Last year, we only shipped 1.6 million containers to China, exports went down dramatically -- and China has been incredibly successful, shipping 6.4 million containers into Europe."
European investments in the Asian giant fell by around 50%, except for Germany which poured large investments into producing electric vehicles in China in recent years.
The European diplomat believed that Beijing will bring up Europe's Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with China, which was long stalled by the EU and was later halted due to human rights allegations against the Asian giant, in addition to sanctions.
"Chinese companies have a strong interest to invest in Europe, that's why China is pushing again for the ratification of the investment agreement," Wuttke pointed out.
But the "geopolitical conditions have changed so much since the conclusion of the negotiations in 2020, so there is no chance of progress on that point," he said.
The Asia-Pacific has turned into "the nerve center of the planet," and this is due to its huge population and vast resources, highlighted Cedric Perrin, a French senate who took part in writing a report on the region.
According to Perrin, France must "re-state a strong and realistic position towards China, especially regarding the need to respect international law" if it wants to be considered a serious regional player.
Read more: German FM to visit China mid April
