The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, briefed MEPs on the outcome of the EU-China summit, which took place on Tuesday 5 April. “It was a dialogue of the deaf”, he described. He added: “The Chinese side stuck to general statements [...] but avoiding specific commitments or avoiding also any kind of blame on Russia”. As we wrote after the summit, the EU has, in essence, received few, if any, guarantees from China on this issue (see EUROPE 12924/1).
Mr Borrell’s remarks were met with a united front of MEPs in the face of China. Most of them supported the conduct of EU leaders during the summit. “I’m happy that the EU did raise all the hot issues [...], we’ll have to realise that the top summit was just the opening of an era, in which tough is the new normal”, said Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA, Germany), Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with China.
He took the opportunity to join his EPP colleague, rapporteur on the EU-China investment agreement, Iuliu Winkler (Romania), who called for a firm stance towards China: “The position of EU leaders was in line with the one from this Parliament. We, the EPP group, reiterate that any Chinese action that supports Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is unacceptable and shall lead to severe consequences”. He also recalled the Parliament’s demand for respect for human rights in Xinjiang, inner Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The European Conservatives and Reformists MEP, Anna Fotyga (Poland), did the same. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)