Trust in China is undermined because of its stance on war against Ukraine, - Borrell
The chief diplomat of the European Union, Josep Borrell, said that trust in China has been undermined by Beijing’s position on the war against Ukraine. Beijing needs to make efforts to convince the Ukrainian people that it is not an ally of Russia.
This is reported by Bloomberg, Censor.NET reports.
As Borrell stated. speaking to university students in Beijing, the Europeans believe that China "may not have used its strong influence to persuade Russia to stop this aggression".
"We believe it is extremely important that China make significant efforts to convince the people of Ukraine that China is not Russia's ally in this war," he said. "I believe that China should increase its humanitarian aid to Ukraine."
Bloomberg writes that Borrell's comments highlight one of Brussels' biggest problems with Beijing: China's diplomatic cover for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. In a sign of close ties between Moscow and Beijing, Putin is expected to attend President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Forum in China in the coming days.
Last month, the EU's chief trade negotiator, Valdis Dombrovskis, criticized China for its failure to condemn Russia's war during a visit to Beijing. Expressing the EU's sharpest criticism of China on this topic, Dombrovskis said that this is tantamount to violating China's principles of territorial integrity.
Borrell also used his speech to urge China to address its rapidly growing trade surplus with Europe. The surplus has increased sharply during the pandemic as Europeans bought more goods such as personal protective equipment or electronics to make it easier to work from home. It more than doubled from 2020 to 2022, reaching $277 billion last year. In 2023, this figure will decrease as demand declines and will be $17.6 billion in September.
"Public opinion in Europe is coming to the conclusion that the trade imbalance with China is so large that it endangers key sectors or the transition to climate neutrality, and this will require strong, protectionist measures," Borrell added.
