Ukraine war: EU’s next top envoy says China must pay ‘higher cost’ for backing Russia
Kaja Kallas, former Estonian prime minister, talks tough in hearings to replace Josep Borrell as high representative for foreign affairs
China needs to pay a “higher cost” for its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, the European Union’s likely next top diplomat said during a confirmation hearing in Brussels on Tuesday.
“Without China’s support to Russia, Russia would not be able to continue its war with the same force. China needs to also feel a higher cost,” Kaja Kallas, the former prime minister of Estonia, said in a three-hour hearing at the European Parliament.
Kallas is on track to succeed Josep Borrell as the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, and during her opening statement and in response to dozens of lawmakers’ questions, she positioned herself as an aggressive one.
Asked what Europe should do about the growing cooperation between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, Kallas said:
“What we see more globally is the increasing cooperation between the players like Russia, North Korea, Iran, more covertly, China … we have to be very clear that it has consequences … [on] China’s support for Russia, for example, we should signal to China that it has a higher cost for them.”
“I see China and Russia weaponising interdependencies and exploiting the openness of our societies against us,” she added.
