During her address at the EU-China summit on Friday, as the ravaging Ukraine war entered its 37th day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appealed to Beijing to uphold international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. While addressing the 23rd EU-China summit virtually on April 1, von der Leyen stressed that China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and added that being a respected member, it has a special responsibility. “China’s reputation is at stake,” she said.
It is pertinent to mention here that since the beginning of this year, especially after Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine, the relations between Beijing and Moscow have deepened. The same was also echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he met with his Chinese counterpart on Wednesday.
“Since the beginning of this year, Chinese-Russian relations have withstood new tests of serious changes in the international situation, and have maintained the right direction and a steady development trend,” news agency Sputnik quoted Lavrov as saying.
Open and frank exchange today at the 🇪🇺🇨🇳 Summit
There must be respect for international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China, as a Permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a special responsibility.
https://t.co/3pp8VSAqUH — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 1, 2022
Besides, while presenting the data on the trade between China and the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen affirmed that Bejing and the 27-member bloc carry out trade worth €2 billion every day. While comparing the statistics with Russia, she said that trade between Moscow and China accounts for €330 million per day. “This is about trust, reliability and decisions on long-term investments. Every day EU and China’s trade amounts to €2 billion. While trade, between China and Russia, is €330 million per day. A prolongation of the war and more disruption to the world economy is in no one’s interest,” she stressed.
Ursula von der Leyen also hights grievous situation of minorities in Xinjiang region
We continue to cooperate constructively on climate.
We want to build on this to prepare for #COP27.⁰
The high prices of fossil fuels should encourage us to move towards renewables and decarbonisation. pic.twitter.com/044uXR5440 — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 1, 2022
Furthermore, the President of the European Commission demanded that China must improve access and conditions for EU companies in its market. Moreover, she appealed to China to stop its unjustified trade measures against Lithuania. Citing multiple media reports on Chinese aggression against the minority communities in Xinjiang, she asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to hold respect for human and labour rights. During the event, she also discussed the state of bilateral relations and areas of shared interest including climate change, biodiversity and health, as well as ways to ensure a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship.
Image: Twitter/@vonderleyen/AP