EU and China should seize the chance to put troubled ties back on track
The chance to engage in constructive dialogue should be seized. It is in the interests of both parties to explore ways of resolving their differences and finding common ground.
EU leaders
agreed to switch the venue from Europe to China, keen to convey their views directly to Xi. But the political environment is discouraging. The EU imposed
sanctions on two Chinese banks on Friday, as part of measures targeting Russia over the war in Ukraine. Beijing has
warned it will retaliate.
European leaders are concerned about China's
restrictions on rare earth exports, believing the EU to be collateral damage in the US trade war with Beijing. Von der Leyen
has accused China of enabling Russia's war economy and flooding global markets with subsidised goods, while calling for faster 'de-risking' from Beijing.
China is frustrated with the EU. This was reflected in the frank and forthright language used by top diplomat Wang Yi in discussions this month. He
reportedly said Beijing did not want Russia to lose the war in Ukraine because it feared the United States would then turn its full attention to China. The EU needs to better understand China's position. The bloc appears to represent the ideological approach of the Joe Biden presidency and the Trump approach to trade. For China this is the worst of both worlds.
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