BRUSSELS: China’s top diplomat warned his EU counterpart against “confrontation”, his foreign ministry said on Thursday (Jul 3), after she urged Beijing to stop undermining Europe’s security.
Meeting Kaja Kallas in Brussels on Wednesday, Wang Yi said China and the European Union “should not be regarded as opponents because of differences, nor should they seek confrontation because of disagreements”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
Europe is “facing various challenges”, Wang said, but stressed that none were caused by China “in the past, present or future”.
Ahead of their meeting, Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, said China was “not our adversary, but on security our relationship is under increasing strain”.
She said Chinese firms were “Moscow’s lifeline to sustain its war against Ukraine” and accused Beijing of carrying out cyberattacks, democratic interference and unfair trade practices that “harm European security and jobs”.
China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia’s more than three-year war with Ukraine. But Western governments say Beijing has given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support.
“Enabling war in Europe while seeking closer ties with Europe is a contradiction Beijing must address,” Kallas added on Wednesday.
Wang, meanwhile, sought to cast Beijing as a steady counterweight against superpower rival Washington, which has threatened to slap sweeping tariffs on imports from European nations.
“The path taken by the United States should not be used as a reflection of China,” he said. “China is not the United States.”
Beijing’s foreign ministry also said the two sides had discussed Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and the Iran nuclear issue.
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