[Salon] China vows closer ties with France, as EU relations remain strained over Lithuania’s Taiwan moves

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3167449/china-vows-closer-ties-france-eu-relations-remain-strained?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage

China vows closer ties with France, as EU relations remain strained over Lithuania’s Taiwan moves

Xi Jinping’s call for mutual respect and benefit accompanied by praise for French efforts to ‘enhance the strategic autonomy of Europe’

Latest Beijing-EU tensions stem from Lithuania’s ties with Taiwan, with the tiny Baltic nation seen to be acting as a US proxy

Amber Wang in Beijing

Published:17 Feb, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged closer ties with France, in a move seen as highlighting Beijing’s hopes of improving EU relations through Paris – the current holder of the rotating European Council presidency.

This came as Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks over the phone on Wednesday, reaching six agreements on bilateral cooperation, in sectors including agriculture, green manufacturing, finance, aviation, and third-party market investment.

The talks come at a time of strained China-European Union relations, starting with tit-for-tat sanctions last year over Beijing’s human rights records. Their latest tensions stem from Beijing’s dispute with EU member Lithuania over its ties with Taiwan, with the tiny Baltic nation seen to be acting as a US proxy.

During the call, Xi praised French efforts to “enhance the strategic autonomy of Europe”, a common _expression_ in Chinese state readouts and often understood as Beijing’s desire for the EU to maintain policies independent of the United States.
China and the EU should uphold a correct understanding of each other, and work with mutual respect for mutual benefit, Xi said.

“The two sides should work together to build the greatest common ground and steer China-EU relations towards new development,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Europe expert Zhao Junjie at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said Beijing hoped Paris would “play a leading role” in improving its EU ties.

“Sino-French relations have shown signs of recovery,” he said, noting that Xi and Macron had kept communication lines open, with two phone calls last year.

There have been occasional tensions, such as after France sent warships into the South China Sea, interpreted as its willingness to confront Beijing’s claims in the disputed waters, and when the French foreign ministry summoned China’s ambassador over insults and threats aimed at French lawmakers and a researcher.

“The weight ratio of France in China-EU relations is gradually increasing,” said Zhao, a research fellow at the Chinese academy’s Institute of European Studies.

This is especially relevant as China’s relations with Germany, the other major power in Europe, is still in the process of testing waters, with the government of new Chancellor Olaf Scholz taking over just two months ago, after his Beijing-friendly predecessor Angela Merkel declined to run for a fifth term.

The upcoming French presidential elections could also influence Macron’s response, Zhao said.

“Facing the general election [in April], Macron hopes to take advantage of holding the rotating EU presidency to achieve ‘strategic autonomy’,” he said. “It is his responsibility to promote China-France relations and then push China-EU relations to a new stage.”
China hopes Macron will remain in power, judging from the support shown in the call, Zhao added.

A statement from the French side said Macron “encouraged China to lift sanctions against Lithuania and address [related] Chinese demands through dialogue”, and also raised the prickly issues of forced labour in China and “the situation in Xinjiang”.

Beijing’s dispute with Lithuania over the opening of a de facto Taiwan embassy there has spiralled from a bilateral spat to one involving the entire EU. Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway territory awaiting reunification, and has reacted with fury to Lithuania’s decision.

Paris strongly backed Brussels last month when it initiated a World Trade Organization lawsuit against Beijing, contending that the Chinese blocked Lithuanian goods in a state-coordinated campaign of coercion.

But while mutual trust between China and the EU has been further hit by the Lithuania dispute, Beijing’s ties with the bloc and France remain generally stable because of mutual economic concerns, according to Chinese experts.

Post-pandemic France would be aiming to boost its green economy and tackle climate change, and there was huge space for cooperation in these areas, Zhao said.

France unveils prototype zero-emission cargo ship powered by hydrogen

China stands ready to work with France to make a success of the China-EU leaders’ meeting, Xi told Macron during their call, referring to an annual summit that was postponed last year.

Xi also said he hoped to work with France to move forward the stalled Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), a China-EU deal concluded in principle in December 2020 but frozen in the European Parliament last year over Chinese sanctions on EU individuals and entities.

Gao Jian, secretary general of the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, said he was not optimistic about the CAI being ratified this year. However, the general trend of China-EU relations would be stable despite minor frictions – because of mutual needs relating to climate change, green industry and the digital economy.

“We expect China-France relations to further lead and drive the development of China-EU relations,” Gao said.