The European Union and China held their 23rd bilateral Summit via videoconference on 1 April, 2022. President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, held the Summit meeting with China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang, followed by exchanges with President Xi Jinping. Due to Covid, it was the first summit in two years. President Michel commented: “Today’s summit is not business as usual, because this is a wartime summit.”
At the top of the agenda was the situation in Ukraine with the European leaders asking China not to support Russia, and China emphasizing that it was seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict in its own way. The international community should continue to create the conditions and the environment for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and open up space for a political settlement, rather than fuel the crisis or heighten tensions, President Xi said. He highlighted the need to ensure lasting peace in Europe and on the Eurasian continent. The fundamental cause of the Ukraine crisis lies in the longstanding regional security conflict in Europe, and the fundamental solution is to accommodate the reasonable security concerns of various sides, he said. In properly handling the crisis, one should not take the wrong medicine, or focus on just one aspect of the issue without regard to the rest, or hold the entire world hostage, he said, adding that it is important to avoid making ordinary people around the world suffer as a result.
President Xi said that the global economic system cannot be disrupted at will, and attempts to politicize or weaponize the global economy as a tool to serve one’s own agenda should not be allowed. If the situation continues to worsen, it could take several years, if not decades, to get things back on track, he said, citing the concerns of many people that the current situation may wipe out the fruits of international economic cooperation gained through decades of efforts. China and the EU should keep the system, rules and foundation of the global economy stable in order to boost public confidence, President Xi Jinping concluded.
Premier Li Keqiang told the EU that Beijing “opposes both a hot war and a cold war; it opposes division of blocs and taking sides”. The EU should have a clear understanding that standing with the West to sanction Russia does not conform to the principle of China's diplomacy, Cui Hongjian, Director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times. “The EU is now kidnapped by the U.S. on security, but that does not conform to the strategic independence the EU has pursued,” Cui said, noting that the EU must take control of its own destiny, and developing ties with China provides the EU an opportunity to develop in a more balanced and comprehensive way in the long run.
Recalling the EU’s and China’s responsibility as global actors to work for peace and stability, the EU called on China to support efforts to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed in Ukraine, consistent with China’s role in the world as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and its uniquely close relations with Russia. Any circumvention of the effects of the sanctions or any aid provided to Russia would prolong the bloodshed and lead to even greater losses of civilian lives and economic disruption, the EU said. Von der Leyen said that: “we exchanged very clearly opposing views. This is not a conflict. This is a war. This is not a European affair. This is a global affair.” She added that: “we made very clear that China should, if not support, at least not interfere with our sanctions” of Russia “and equidistance is not enough; active engagement for peace is important and each player should play its role.”
Both sides also discussed global food and energy security, climate change and the fight against Covid. The recovery from the pandemic remains a shared priority. Leaders discussed cooperation on the vaccination campaign and reopening of the economy. The EU pointed to the need to address long-standing concerns related to market access and the investment environment in China, with the view to ensuring a balanced trade and economic relationship. Leaders agreed to expand the EU-China Agreement to progress on these issues before the summer. The EU and China will also resume the High Level Digital Dialogue and the human rights dialogue. But there was no joint communique issued at the end of the Summit.
The EU was China’s second-largest trading partner last year, with bilateral trade reaching USD828.1 billion, up 27.5% year-on-year. Also, the EU surpassed ASEAN to become China’s largest trading partner in the first two months of the year, as bilateral trade surged 14.8% year-on-year to USD137.16 billion.
This overview is based on reports by the China Daily, Global Times, South China Morning Post and a press release of the European Commission.
