The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, met the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on 1 December. During the three-hour exchange, he stressed the need for “a more balanced relationship” between the EU and China. The pair also discussed human rights, the situation in the East Asia region, global challenges and the war in Ukraine.
Charles Michel told Xi Jinping about the difficulties encountered by European companies and investors on the Chinese market: “We observe that it is difficult for EU companies to develop economic activities in China or with China. We need to identify the concrete obstacles and difficulties and what we can do in order to resolve those and to have a more balanced relationship”.
The Chinese president put the onus on the EU, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign minister: “While China will stay open to European businesses, it would like to call on the EU to stay free from disturbances and provide Chinese companies with a fair and transparent business environment”.
According to Xi Jinping, the two sides should seek greater complementarity “in market, capital, technology and work together to nurture new growth drivers in digital economy, green development and environment protection, new energies, and artificial intelligence”.
Dialogue on human rights
Charles Michel welcomed China’s willingness to resume the EU-China dialogue on human rights. Beijing’s view, however, is that this dialogue must be “conducted on the basis of equality and mutual respect”.
The President of the European Council told the press that he had raised the issue of human rights in China, particularly in the Xinjiang region and in Hong Kong. “This is not about interfering with internal affairs. It’s about upholding the principles agreed by the UN”.
Situation in the region
“We are committed to a peaceful Indo-Pacific and Southeast China Sea”, said Charles Michel. Tensions must be avoided in the region and this requires freedom of navigation and overflight. He mentioned the case of the island of Taiwan and the need to maintain peace there.
North Korea and Myanmar were also discussed.
Cooperating on global challenges
Charles Michel and Xi Jinping both called for increased coordination and cooperation on the international scene. Climate change, the response to the pandemic, peace, development, energy and food security are all issues that need to be worked on together, the two leaders said.
On the subject of the Covid-19 pandemic, Charles Michel reminded Xi Jinping that vaccines in Europe had proved effective in reducing the number of severe cases of the disease, whereas China has limited the type of vaccines it administers to its population.
Recent large-scale demonstrations in the country over the management of the pandemic were part of the discussions, according to Charles Michel’s spokesman Barend Leyts: “There was an exchange on Covid-19 and the relative experiences in Europe and China including on the respective measures taken and the response of societies”.
Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA, German), MEP and Chair of the parliamentary delegation for relations with China, had called on the President of the European Council to put the issue on the table: “We well know the violence of repression of which the Chinese regime is capable. It is therefore crucial that Charles Michel takes a firm stance and warns Xi Jinping of the EU’s determination to react to the indicated crackdown by raising it in international organisations and to initiate additional sanctions if necessary”, he said. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)