The much-anticipated high-level EU-China meeting took place in a downsized form on July 24. Instead of the planned two days, the second day, which was to consist of a business meeting, was canceled by the Chinese government in retaliation to the arrogant behavior of EU foreign policy representative Kaja Kallas at a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the beginning of July.
Consistent with that bad start, the EU trio (EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Antonio Costa, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas) were received by President Xi Jinping, and they also met with Prime Minister Li Qiang and exchanged nice words. But they issued no joint statement after the meetings, except on the issue of climate policy. Instead, the EU issued its own release, which shows that the EU trio had not learned the lessons of the Brussels meeting and insisted with a posture of lecturing China on the subject of Ukraine and the so-called “rules-bsed order.” Its release stated:
“The leaders agreed that the EU and China have the shared responsibility to uphold the international rules-based order and to tackle global challenges. They reiterated their commitment to work together to safeguard multilateralism.
“The leaders discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU underlined that this war of aggression is not only an existential threat to Ukraine, but also to global security. The EU reiterated that, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China bears special responsibility to uphold the rules-based international order, the UN Charter and international law. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear case of their violation. The EU repeated its calls on China not to provide any material support which sustains Russia’s military-industrial base. The EU encouraged China to use its influence to support a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of the UN Charter. The EU underscored that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s supply of troops and arms in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine poses considerable risks to security in Europe as well as East Asia.”
Italian economist Michele Geraci, who has a long diplomatic and other experience in China, commented: “Another disaster for the EU, represented by a president who has absolutely no understanding of how to relate to China.… During the meeting, Xi said to [von der Leyen] VdL: ‘Chinese and European leaders should ... make correct strategic choices that meet the expectations of the people.’ I translate (Xi is still speaking): ‘What are you doing here negotiating on behalf of 400 million people if you don’t know what they want or how to fulfill their desires?’”
