European Commission President Wants to Reassess Relations with China

The EU plans to reassess and de-risk its relationship with China, Ursula von Der Leyen said on March 30, adding that Beijing’s stance on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a key part of their future relationship.

It was the first time the EU chief had spoken fully on the bloc’s relationship with Beijing, declaring that the EU needed to be “bolder” in its dealings with China.

Ms von Der Leyen said the EU needed to reassess its relationship with Beijing, both politically and economically. However, she acknowledged that a complete decoupling from China was not possible and would not be in Europe’s interests.

She also noted the relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who met in Moscow last week and ended two days of talks with declarations of closer cooperation aimed at changing the world’s geopolitical order.

Ms von der Leyen recalled Mr Xi Jinping telling President Vladimir Putin: “Right now, there are changes, changes that we have not seen in 100 years. And we are the ones who are driving these changes together.”

First, the EC president hinted that the EU could abandon its pursuit of a major trade deal with China, which was agreed in 2020 but stalled in the European Parliament after some of its members were sanctioned by Beijing.

Next week, the EU chief is scheduled to travel to China with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Beijing would play a constructive role in promoting peace talks between Kiev and Moscow. President Putin praised Beijing’s moves to end the current conflict in Ukraine, stressing that Russia-China relations are at their highest level.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper