China reneges on pledges not to send weapons to Russia – ‘worrying’

On Thursday, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited the Chinese capital, Beijing, to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, along with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Swedish said before the summit Parliamentarian in the European Union It is important that Ursula von der Leyen pushed China not to send any weapons to Russia. However, Ursula von der Leyen does not appear to have received any confirmation of this from China. At the press conference after Thursday’s meeting Instead, it said it “expected” that China would not send weapons to Russia.

– We expect that China will not provide any military equipment to China. She said that arming the aggressor is against international law and will greatly harm our relationship.

Ursula von der Leyen urged Xi Jinping to contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and was told that Xi Jinping might consider doing so, “when the time comes.”

The investment agreement is no longer on the table

The meeting also discussed trade relations between the European Union and China. Ursula von der Leyen described the relationship as broad and complex, and noted that trade between the EU and China is unbalanced. The EU imports far more than it exports, which, according to her, is partly due to Chinese trade barriers. Ursula von der Leyen said that it has become important for the EU to protect its own interests, but she does not believe in moving away from the relationship with China.

– Some people think we should separate ourselves from China. I doubt this is a desirable strategy. I mean instead we should focus on reducing risk.

Investment agreement between the European Union and China However, it was not raised at the meeting, according to von der Leyen. The agreement has been completed in late 2020, but it ran afoul of the EU Parliament and was never reached. At the press conference, Ursula von der Leyen said that a lot had happened since the agreement was put on the table and that it would have to be reworked.

– She said that our position is that the agreement will need to be revised.

The important difference in the relations between the EU and China since the conclusion of the agreement is that The European Union imposed sanctions on Chinalinked to the suppression of the Muslim minority in Xinjiang, and that China, in turn, responded by imposing sanctions on the Europeans.

Ursula von der Leyen discussed the human rights situation with Xi Jinping, and expressed concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in the country. She said it was important for the dialogue on human rights to continue between the EU and China.

Anxiety and complacency among EU politicians

Europaportalen asked Swedish parliamentarians in the European Union if they were satisfied with Ursula von der Leyen’s performance at the summit.

MEP David Lega (KD), regrets that Ursula von der Leyen was not given any concrete promises regarding the non-delivery of weapons.

– Von der Leyen said that she “expects” that China will not send weapons to Russia, and Macron, for his part, said that he “expects” China to correct Russia and bring Russia back to the negotiating table. It is worrying that nothing more concrete has come out of the EU’s meetings with top management in China, he told Europaportalen.

MEP Evin Enser (S) believes that the EU should be more careful about respecting human rights in China. She seems satisfied with the way von der Leyen handled the issue at the meeting.

– Von der Leyen has been clear about China regarding human rights and freedoms, she said.

Even MEP Jürgen Warborn (M) seems to be satisfied with von der Leyen’s efforts.

– I think it’s good that von der Leyen made it clear that our trade relations are important but we must protect our European values […] For example, it addressed the need to reduce risk by diversifying our value chains, and singled out the relationship between China and Russia as very problematic, he says.

Europaportalen has also contacted EU parliamentarians Malin Björk (V) and Jakop Dalunde (MP) for comment, but has not received a response.