Yesterday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Charles Michel, and Joseph Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, met in a virtual summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and then with President Xi Jinping, to discuss a range of bilateral issues involving COVID-19 response, EU-China trade and investment matters, Hong Kong and human rights, among other things. This was the 22nd such bilateral meeting.
Judging from initial reports, the Europeans’ intervention was an exercise in arrogance— lecturing the two Chinese leaders on acceptable behavior in the context of the “rules-based international order,” while repeating the usual worn allegations about human rights violations in Tibet and Xinjiang. As reported by Xinhua, Xi Jinping focused on the potential for a constructive partnership, stressing that China doesn’t see itself as a rival of any other country, and seeks only cooperative relations, “recognizing differences,” that will benefit both parties, in a context of multilateralism.
