The purpose of the summit by videoconference between China and EU was clear:Persuade the Asian giant not to remain ambiguous about the war Ukraine He could even use his influence on the Kremlin for peace or at minimum a ceasefire.
Nothing seems to have changed much after the appointment. The Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was unable to make a joint statement between the two delegations or hold a press conference (something that was not planned before the meeting). He only made an effort to ensure that Beijing supports peace talks and that they deal with the situation in their own ways. According to a Chinese diplomat, the DPA agency reported this.The country “opposes division of blocs” and takes sides.
US intelligence suspects China of arming Ukraine. There are also concerns that Beijing may be helping the Kremlin to circumvent Western-imposed economic sanctions. In a similar vein, NATO Allies believe that the Asian giant has been helping the Kremlin spread disinformation campaigns. . Beijing also criticized Ukraine’s membership in NATO. This is an obvious alignment with Russian positions.
While the EU isn’t sure Beijing is helping Moscow militarily, it is still on the watch. “We ask China to help stop the war in Ukraine. China cannot look the other way in the face of this violation of international law”, assured the President of the Council, Charles Michel, at the end of the meeting to later warn that the EU will be “vigilant” against “any attempt to help Russia Financially or militarily. The differences in language and actions are still evident and do not seem to have abated, despite the fact that the European authorities assured that the dialogue had been “frank and open”. It was also unsuccessful.
Von der Leyen said, “Equidistance alone is not sufficient. Active commitment is necessary and all players must play their roles.” He also recalled that this war was not only a security concern for the EU, it is also a problem for the entire global structure. The German policy also reminded China that it is one of few countries that has a seat in the UN Security Council, and that it has a responsibility to act in line with this responsibility. Beijing has so far not supported the invasion by Ukraine with light and the stenographers. It does not even use that term to delineate the conflict. He also abstained from the UN condemnation resolution.
On Wednesday, Sergei Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister) visited the Asian giant. He met with Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, and they predicted a new international equilibrium. “I am convinced that at the end of this stage the situation will be much clearer and that we, together with you and our supporters, will move towards a more just and democratic world order,” Lavrov assured.
Relations between the EU-China relations were already troubled before the conflict in Ukraine. These tensions were further exacerbated by the Lithuanian commercial reprisals. After the Baltic country opened a Taiwan representative office, and after the EU and Beijing imposed sanctions on China for violating the Human Rights of the Uyghur minority, the EU and Beijing stopped investing in each other.