EU-China ties shouldn’t be viewed through ‘prism of Ukraine crisis’, says top envoy- Chinese ambassador to Brussels Fu Cong says Beijing ‘also a victim’ of crisis, and cooperation with Russia has ‘no upper limit’
- He urges European Union to maintain ‘strategic autonomy’ and avoid developing US ties at China’s expense
China’s relations with the European Union should not be tied to the war in Ukraine, said China’s top envoy to Brussels. In an interview with Chinese media, Fu Cong, Beijing’s ambassador to the EU, urged Europe to maintain its “strategic autonomy” and avoid furthering ties with Washington at China’s expense. “China’s policy towards Europe has remained stable for a long time and regards Europe as a strategic partner,” Fu told news portal Thepaper.cn.
He added that Beijing’s policy considered China and Europe “two major forces, two major markets” and that insisting on dialogue and cooperation was “of great significance to the world”.
“The European side should not look at China-Europe relations through the prism of the Ukraine crisis, let alone develop relations with the US at the expense of China-Europe relations and Chinese interests.”
Fu said the relationship between China and Europe was not only about the Ukraine war.
“Just like China’s bilateral relations with any country, China-EU relations are multifaceted and not single-issue, and China-EU relations are not directed at, dependent on, or subject to third parties, and should not be tied to the Ukraine issue,” he said.
“China is neither the creator nor a party to the crisis in Ukraine. China is also a victim of this crisis and it is totally untenable to blame the Chinese side in the Ukrainian crisis.”
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Beijing’s “no limits” relationship with Moscow has been under intense scrutiny, and China’s refusal to impose sanctions has also drawn criticism from the West.
Officials in the US and Europe have warned that Beijing would face consequences if it supplied military aid to Russia. According to the interview transcript published on Monday, Fu defended China’s relationship with Russia, which he said had faced “some misconceptions and prejudices” in Europe.
China and Russia are each other’s largest neighbours, and it was “in line with the logic of history and reality, the interests of the peoples of both sides and the expectations of the international community” for Beijing and Moscow to maintain a friendly relationship, Fu said.
“We have also always believed that friendship and cooperation between countries is endless and that no man-made limits should be set,” he added. “China-Russia cooperation has ‘no upper limit’, nor does China-EU cooperation.” Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted French President Emmanuel Macron and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing earlier this month after nearly three years of Covid-19 controls left China isolated from the West.
Speaking on his return flight from China, Macron told the media that Europe should not simply be “America’s followers” in its strategy on Taiwan – now one of the major fronts of confrontation between China and the US. The remarks triggered a diplomatic storm in Europe but received applause from Beijing.
Fu said the annual China-EU leaders’ meeting was the most important item on the political agenda for Beijing and Brussels this year. He also said China’s recent success in brokering the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran could have “significant implications” for a resolution to the Ukraine crisis, and Europe could also play a role.
China has said it was willing to mediate, but EU officials, including top diplomat Josep Borrel, have questioned whether Beijing could be neutral because of its close ties with Russia.
“While all efforts to de-escalate the situation should be encouraged and supported in relation to the crisis in Ukraine, it is also evident that some countries continue to pass the torch while profiting from it and making a fortune in war, which is clearly not conducive to the resolution of the crisis,” Fu said.