Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is in Brussels speaking with EU representatives to bring them more on board Biden’s “maximum pressure” campaign to isolate China. U.S. pressure on the EU has already led to a stalemate in the implementation of the EU-China Investment Treaty, allegedly caused by the mutual sanctions stemming from the claims of human rights violations in Xinjiang. Sherman is discussing matters with Stefano Sannino, the head of the EU’s External Action Service.
According to a joint statement released by the parties, the talks dealt with “human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, the erosion of autonomy and democratic processes in Hong Kong, economic coercion, disinformation campaigns, and regional security issues, in particular the situation in the South China Sea.” They are also discussing the possibility of granting Taiwan “meaningful participation” in multilateral forums, including the World Health Organization and the World Health Assembly, organizations which generally only involve independent nations. China views this rightly as a step in the direction of Taiwan moving for independence, which is also the goal of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. That is a well-known red line for the Chinese government.
