“The United States and European Union have never been more aligned on our strategic outlooks”, said European External Action Service (EEAS) Secretary General Stefano Sannino and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Friday 2 December. They held the fourth high-level dialogue on China and the third round of high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific in Washington.
China
It is important that the EU and the US “maintain continuous and close contact on their approaches” to China, the two officials said in their joint statement. The line taken by both partners remains similar to that affirmed during the previous dialogue in April (see EUROPE 12937/1): openness to engage with China on issues of common interest, while recalling existing concerns.
These concern China’s economic coercion, Beijing’s potential circumvention of EU and US sanctions against Russia, China’s manipulation of information and human rights abuses in the country.
The situation in Taiwan was considered worrying because of Chinese provocations, according to both interlocutors. The status quo must be maintained and any unilateral action that could undermine it must be avoided, they say. They called for a peaceful resolution of these issues and reaffirmed the commitment to the One China principle.
Stefano Sannino and Wendy Sherman also addressed the issue of the South China Sea, where Beijing has maritime claims that are not in accordance with international law, they said.
Finally, they addressed the human rights situation in China, including Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Hong Kong, “which requires urgent attention by the international community at large”.
Indo-Pacific
The third round of EU-US High Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific region again reiterated the main principles set out in the previous session (see EUROPE 12937/1): improving connectivity with countries in the region and working towards peace in the region.
There is, for example, the “urgency of addressing the worsening political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar”, say Mr Sannino and Ms Sherman. They recommitted to working together to press the military regime to stop its violence and release those arbitrarily detained, to allow access to humanitarian aid and to restore democracy.
The EU and the US are also planning joint naval exercises in the region in the first half of 2023.
Finally, the two leaders recalled the centrality of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Indo-Pacific region.
They also welcomed their “exceptional” coordination to end the war in Ukraine and recalled the need to strengthen engagement with other partners around the world on this issue. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)