US, EU diplomats voice concern about China’s human rights abuses, aggression
- Wendy Sherman and Stefano Sannino discuss repression in Xinjiang and Tibet and ‘the erosion of autonomy and democracy in Hong Kong’, among other topics
- It is the second meeting of the year as part of the initiative known as the US-EU Dialogue on China
The US and European Union held a new round of diplomatic talks on their relations with China on Thursday, the latest sign of a burgeoning transatlantic united front to confront Beijing amid rising geopolitical tensions.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting in Washington between Wendy Sherman, the No 2 official in the US State Department, and European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino, one of the EU’s top diplomats, the two sides expressed alarm at China’s crackdown on human rights at home and sabre-rattling against its neighbours.
“They expressed strong concern over China’s problematic and unilateral actions in the South and East China Seas and the Taiwan Strait that undermine peace and security in the region and have a direct impact on the security and prosperity of both the United States and European Union,” it added.
The statement also touched on economic and trade issues with Beijing – including “the importance of protecting intellectual property rights, critical infrastructure and sensitive technologies”.
