The future of relations between the European Union and China will largely depend on Beijing’s attitude towards “Putin’s war” in Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen warned on Thursday.
“We have to be honest: How China continues to respond to Putin’s war will be a crucial factor for the future of EU-China relations,” said the European Commission President, who is traveling to Beijing next week with French President Emmanuel Macron must.
Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a major visit to Moscow last week.
China, which has never denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, proposed a “peace plan” in February to end the war that has been going on for more than a year, but the United States and Europe remain skeptical about Beijing’s ability to to play a mediating role.
Washington has also warned Beijing against the temptation to ship arms to Moscow.
“Far from being surprised by the cruel and illegal invasion of Ukraine, President Xi maintains his ‘boundless’ friendship with Putin’s Russia,” Ursula von der Leyen said during a speech at reflection centers in Brussels.
“China has a duty to play a constructive role in promoting a just peace. But this peace can only be just if it is based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she continued.
“Any peace plan that would entrench Russian annexations is simply not viable,” she said.
Speaking more broadly about the future of EU-China relations, Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that it was “neither practicable nor in Europe’s interest” to “distance” from Beijing.
“Our relationships are neither black nor white, and neither can our response. That’s why we need to focus on risk reduction, not distancing,” she stressed.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is currently in Beijing.
After Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November, he is the second head of government of an EU country to visit China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than three years ago.
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel there in the middle of next week. He will be accompanied for part of his visit by the President of the European Commission.