Status: 01.04.2022 5:31 p.m
The EU and China see a global danger in the Ukraine war. At the same time, the EU warned the Chinese leadership at a virtual summit against supporting Russia. Rather, Beijing must use its influence to stop the war.
At a virtual summit, top representatives of the European Union warned the Chinese leadership against backing Russia in the war against Ukraine. “No European citizen would understand if there was any support for Russia’s ability to wage war,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after talks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and State and Party leader Xi Jinping. “That would damage China’s reputation here in Europe.”
As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China also bears a special responsibility. Indirectly, von der Leyen also threatened China with consequences for the close economic relations. “It is clear that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a defining moment not only for our continent but also for our relationship with the rest of the world,” she said.
EU urges China to change course towards Russia
EU Council President Charles Michel also made a clear statement. “We asked China to help end the war in Ukraine,” he said. “China cannot ignore Russia’s violation of international law.” According to Michel, the EU and China see a threat to global security and the world economy in the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Any form of Chinese support for Russia, for example to circumvent the sanctions, would also unnecessarily prolong the war.
Michel appealed to China to use its influence over Russia to stop the war in Ukraine. “The international community, and specifically China and the EU, have a responsibility to use their combined influence and diplomacy to bring about an end to the Russian war in Ukraine and the related humanitarian crisis,” he tweeted.
China emphasizes cooperation with EU
The head of the department responsible for relations with Europe at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Lutong, wrote on Twitter that Brussels and Beijing had agreed to “work together to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the world”. On the subject of Ukraine, Li said “China rejects both a hot war and a cold war”.
China is fundamentally against “the division into blocs and partisanship”. The People’s Republic wants to work with the EU and the world and “play a constructive role to ease the situation, cease hostilities, prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe and restore peace soon,” Premier Li said use the country “in its own way” for peace.
However, this does not mean that China is moving away from Russia or moving in the direction of the EU. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said immediately before the start of the EU-China summit: “No one should force others to choose sides.” Taking a simplistic approach of friend and foe is unwise. In addition, the West’s punitive measures against Russia were again criticized. The fact that normal trade exchanges with Russia are being “unnecessarily” damaged is a problem, it said. The problem is not which country wants to help Russia circumvent the sanctions.
China’s unclear role in the Ukraine war
The war against Ukraine is also severely straining EU-China relations and overshadowed the virtual EU-China summit, originally set up as a conference on trade issues and climate change. The Chinese leadership has not yet condemned the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Externally, China offers itself as a neutral mediator; the state media, however, largely follow the Russian line and primarily criticize the USA and NATO.
The EU has so far shied away from threatening sanctions against China should the People’s Republic officially support Russia in the war against Ukraine. Russia and China, on the other hand, have repeatedly emphasized their close partnership. During a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to China, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry recently said that Chinese-Russian cooperation is boundless.
Xi hopes for Europe’s independence from the US
At the summit, China’s head of state and party leader Xi also expressed his hope that the EU would evade US influence in its China policy. His country hopes that the European side “has an independent perception of China and pursues an independent policy towards China,” Xi said in an interview with von der Leyen and Michel, according to state television.
He therefore pointed out that the corona pandemic was ongoing, that the global economy was experiencing difficulties and that the Ukraine war was also a factor. Under the circumstances, China and Europe, as major global powers, markets and civilizations, should step up communication and play a constructive role in their relations and the major issues of peace and development in the world to create stabilizing factors in a turbulent period, he was quoted as saying the state television.
European pandemic aid against concessions
The EU, in turn, wants to help China fight the corona pandemic, for example, but at the same time expects concessions in other areas. One is willing to share and support expertise, said von der Leyen after the summit. But it was also made clear to China that a number of differences needed to be addressed. As examples, von der Leyen cited Beijing’s sanctions against members of the European Parliament, the restricted access of European companies to the Chinese market, as well as human rights issues and China’s actions against Lithuania.
Von der Leyen expressed concern about the corona situation in China with a view to the current lockdowns in cities like Shanghai. According to them, the EU could help, among other things, with expertise in effective mRNA vaccine technology to stop the pandemic. So far, the country has been well behind in developing its own mRNA vaccines and must therefore now fear further serious economic consequences from the pandemic. “The experience here in Europe shows that the best protection against the consequences of the omicron variant is a full vaccination including boosters,” said von der Leyen.