In an unusually open language, EU officials in the run-up to the summit said any aid to Russia would damage China’s international reputation and jeopardize relations with its biggest trading partners – Europe and the United States. European Commission and European Council Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, along with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, began virtual talks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. They were due to speak with President Xi Jinping later on Friday. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register An EU official said China’s stance on Russia was a “multimillion-dollar issue” on Friday. Another noted that more than a quarter of China’s world trade was with the bloc and the United States last year, compared with just 2.4% with Russia. “Are we prolonging this war or are we working together to end this war? That is the key question for the summit,” he said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated China’s call for peace talks this week, adding that legitimate concerns on all sides should be met. Wang Yiwei, a Europe expert at Beijing’s Renmin University, said both China and the EU wanted an end to the war. “I imagine China would like to use this summit to discuss with the EU how to create the conditions acceptable to Putin to step down from his current position,” he said. China itself is concerned that European countries are taking tougher foreign policy elements from the United States and has called on the EU to “exclude foreign interference” from its relations with China. Relations were already strained before the war in Ukraine. The EU changed abruptly in 2019 from a mild diplomatic language to calling China a systemic adversary, but sees it as a potential partner in the fight against climate change or pandemic. Brussels and Beijing reached an investment agreement in late 2020 to address some of the EU’s concerns about mutual market access. However, it is now on hold, as Brussels sanctions against Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region have pushed Beijing to blacklist EU individuals and entities. China has since also suspended imports from Lithuania after the Baltic nation allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in its capital, angering Beijing, which considers the democratically governed island its territory. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by Robin Emmott. written by Philip Blenkinsop. Edited by Sandra Maler, William Maclean Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
