The European Union expressed its grave concern on Friday 29 May about the Chinese Parliament’s adoption on the day before of the Hong Kong Security Law in a statement by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (see EUROPE 12492/19).
Beijing’s initiative is not in line with China’s international commitments and the Basic Law of Hong Kong and risks seriously undermining the principle of “one country, two systems” and the high degree of autonomy of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, warns the EU.
Questioned after the foreign ministers’ video conference, during which China was addressed, Mr Borrell dropped the conditional to acknowledge that “the autonomy of Hong Kong has been really weakened by this decision”. “It jeopardises the autonomy of Hong Kong”, he insisted.
And while the EU, in its declaration, recalls that its relations with China are based on mutual respect and trust, European pressure is expected to remain verbal. The Europeans are only committed to raising the issue in the context of their continued dialogue with China.
“We will continue to try to put pressure on the Chinese authorities in order to make them aware that this issue will affect the way we deal with some of the issues of mutual interest. But there’s nothing more on the agenda”, Mr Borrell acknowledged, saying that potential sanctions are not a way to solve problems with China. According to him, during the discussion among ministers, only one of them mentioned the possibility of European sanctions.
Nor should the EU allow the situation in Hong Kong to call the Sino-European partnership into question. Mr Borrell confirmed that the EU-China summit, scheduled to take place in Leipzig on 14 September 2020, is not in question, nor is the continuation of negotiations on investment agreements with Beijing.
The Leipzig Summit, like the one that may be held in June, is all the more important because the challenges facing the Union in its relationship with the Middle Kingdom are manifold but also fundamental. Its credibility is at stake with regard to its ability to rebalance this asymmetrical relationship.
Refocusing the relationship
The Covid-19 pandemic “accelerated existing trends” on the international scene, Borell told reporters, adding that “it has been a wake-up call”. “The US-China rivalry is becoming a structuring factor of the post-coronavirus world”, he said.
The Sino-European relationship is also extremely complex, the High Representative reiterated. The two partners are sometimes allies, sometimes rivals, depending on the issue. But the EU now wants to strengthen the relationship and make the most of this opportunity.
According to the EU ministers, it is indeed time to consolidate European policy with this systemic player by basing it “on our interests and principles”, through an “honest” dialogue in all areas, from the climate to global political stability, including the necessary rebalancing of economic relations. Mr Borrell stressed that the EU thus intends to focus on the implementation of its partnership based on the previously established parameters (see EUROPE 12094/16).
The Commission also hopes to seal a comprehensive investment agreement (see EUROPE 12437/11) as soon as possible. By chance, a new round of negotiations - the twenty-ninth - ended on the same day (see EUROPE 12475/14). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Hermine Donceel)