The president of the European Council met the Chinese president on Thursday. According to the EU leader, the interview has largely focused on the Ukrainian conflict.
by Frédéric Lemaître (Beijing, correspondent)
Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, leaves Beijing empty -handed or almost. After being received more than three hours by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Thursday 1 er December, the manager only obtained a symbolic concession from his interlocutor: the resumption of the China dialogue -European Union (EU) on human rights. He had been interrupted by Beijing in 2021, when Europeans had imposed sanctions against some Chinese officials, craftsmen of the repression of Uighurs in the Xinjiang, immediately followed by Chinese counter-sanctions, especially against European parliamentarians.
At a time when China represses discreetly but, it seems, severely the participants in the demonstrations of last weekend against zero covid politics but also against the Communist Party, there is little chance that this dialogue has concrete benefits. China said it should be held “on the basis of equality and mutual respect”.
Russia and China lined up
If a good part of the interview, according to Mr. Michel, focused on Ukraine, the Beijing press release suggests no modification of the Chinese position: Xi Jinping “expressed the support of China at the EU in its efforts to intensify mediation and lead the construction of a European, effective and sustainable European security architecture. ” European security architecture is the term Moscow and Beijing work to designate a Europe in which NATO would see its reduced role.
Wednesday, November 30, Russian and Chinese military planes have also undertaken common military exercises, with for the first time, according to the Chinese press, Chinese planes landing in Russia, and vice versa.
If the European Union did not have much to expect from this exchange, China can however congratulate itself to see the Europeans scrolling one after the other in Beijing. The visit of Charles Michel follows that of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and precedes those expected in 2023, the French President Emmanuel Macron and the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni.
the EU guests to strengthen his Economic cooperation
The current distance of Europeans with regard to Washington’s economic policy, considered protectionist, obviously did not escape Chinese leaders. Xi Jinping proposed to Charles Michel to “develop together new growth engines such as digital economy, green development, environmental protection, new energies and artificial intelligence”. China and the European Union “must reject the decoupling together” insists Beijing.
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