China has a special responsibility, said EU President Charles Michel after this year’s summit with China on Friday, warning China against giving Russia support in the war against Ukraine.
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During the nearly four-hour virtual summit, EU leaders tried as hard as they could to make sure China did not help Russia circumvent economic sanctions.
In addition to Michel, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Minister Josep Borrell attended talks with Chinese leaders, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
The war in Ukraine was at the center of the meeting, and EU leaders looked for signals that China could help stop the war, and warned China against trying to circumvent sanctions or give Russia support.
– It would result in a significant loss of reputation for China here in Europe, von der Leyen said after the meeting.
Repeated criticism
China stressed that it will cooperate for peace, but at the same time reiterated its criticism of Western sanctions. China also blamed much of the war on the United States for pushing to expand NATO closer to Russia’s border.
“China is opposed to resolving sanctions problems, and we are even more opposed to unilateral sanctions and long-term measures that are contrary to international law,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during the meeting.
Prime Minister Li Keqiang wrote on Twitter on Friday that the country is opposed to both hot and cold war, but is not willing to take sides in the Ukraine war. China has refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
“The international community, especially China and the EU, have a mutual responsibility to use their common influence and diplomacy to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and the associated humanitarian crisis,” EU President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter after the first round of the conversations.
At the meeting, the EU also wanted to refer to the consequences of the war on oil and food prices and the supply of fertilizers, which hit poor countries in Africa and the Middle East the hardest.
EU: Can punish China
Ahead of the meeting, EU officials stated that the union is seeking assurances that China has no intention of rescuing the Russian economy or providing other support to Russia, and will instead work together to end the war in Ukraine.
The background is that the EU can punish Chinese companies that contribute to weakening the economic sanctions against Russia.
In this connection, the EU points out that 13.7 per cent of all China’s trade takes place with EU countries and 12 per cent with the USA. In comparison, trade between Russia and China is only 2.4 percent of China’s total trade.
More themes
Friday’s meeting was to address issues of trade and climate change, but the focus was instead on Western concerns about Chinese support for the Russians in the attack on Ukraine.
Li said the parties also discussed an agreement on dialogue on energy and food security, which will maintain stability in the world economy.
Other issues that were originally on the agenda were China’s travel ban for members of the European Parliament, China’s boycott of Lithuania due to relations with Taiwan, the stagnant negotiations on an investment agreement and civil and political rights under China’s authoritarian rule.
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