The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called for solidarity between the nations of Southeast Asia (ASEAN) and the European Union in a volatile geopolitical context on Saturday 27 July at the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum in Vientiane, Laos (see EUROPE 13462/10).
“At a time when the economic ties between Europe and the Indo-Pacific are at their strongest, the security landscape around us is increasingly dangerous”, he stressed.
Mr Borrell once again referred to the current conflicts “threatening the stability of both regions”: the war in Ukraine, the unrest in the Middle East and tensions in the Red Sea and South China Sea.
He mentioned, among other things, the actions of North Korea, whose missiles “threaten not only the Indo-Pacific region, but also Europe” since they are transferred and used by Russia on Ukrainian territory.
With regard to the situation in Gaza, the head of European diplomacy reiterated his call to redouble efforts to implement a two-state solution which is the only one to “resolve this endless conflict” between Israel and Palestine.
He then spoke out in favour of an Indo-Pacific region “at the epicentre of global competition”, which can remain “peaceful”.
In his last participation at the Regional Forum before the new legislature of the European Commission takes office, Mr Borrell thanked the parties, and concluded by saying, “let’s invest in connectivity in order to get close to each other, let’s invest in connectivity instead of in conflicts”.
EU-China relations
The day before, on the fringes of the Forum, Mr Borrell held talks with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, to discuss relations between the EU and China.
The High Representative informed him of the EU’s concerns about Chinese exports of “dual-use” goods and articles that support Russia in building its military equipment.
Mr Borrell also called on China to use its influence on Russia to help bring the war to an end.
He then suggested that China rebalance bilateral economic relations, taking into account the impact of economic policies and production subsidies, which distort the EU market.
On Taiwan, Mr Borrell reaffirmed that the EU’s position had not changed, and that it continued to apply the One China policy, recognising the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also travelled to China to revive Italy-China bilateral relations in a number of key sectors, and met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday 29 July to discuss the main issues on the international agenda, including Ukraine.
At the meeting, she said that China was “a very important partner” for tackling the problems of growing insecurity at international level. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)