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EU and China leaders promise to keep talking amid ‘multiple crises’
- Chinese President Xi Jinping backs EU efforts to mediate in Russia’s war in Ukraine
- EU Council President Charles Michel says he discussed the situation in Xinjiang ‘at length’ following a meeting with other members of the top leadership
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European Union and Chinese leaders met on Thursday for their first face-to-face engagement since before the pandemic, covering a range of thorny economic and geopolitical issues, but pledging to cooperate on matters of global importance.
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In remarks released by Beijing after a three-hour meeting between Xi Jinping and European Council President Charles Michel, Xi said China would work to ensure supply chain stability and threw his support behind the EU’s mediation efforts over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Michel, who arrived in the Chinese capital on Thursday seeking to recalibrate ties, told his host the meeting was an opportunity to address the “multiple crises” confronting the world, “as well as the full breadth of the EU-China relationship”, according to a statement released by his spokesman.
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Under pressure from EU lawmakers and diplomats to deliver a tough message in Beijing, Michel also discussed China’s human rights record and voiced concerns about its handling of recent protests in response to Covid-19 controls.
“More broadly, there was an exchange on Covid-19 and the relative experiences in Europe and China including on the respective measures taken and the response of societies,” the EU statement said.
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