European Council President Charles Michel left yesterday Tuesday evening for Beijing, where he will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow Thursday, who has faced demonstrations of historic proportions against restrictive measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic and for more freedoms (file photo, above, by Kenzaburo Fukuhara/EPA).
"Invited by President Xi"
"Charles Michel was invited by President Xi. When the Chinese president invites you, do you say no?" a European official asked, responding to criticism of Mr Michel's trip, which some described as "unfortunate".
China's "zero COVID" policy, with its draconian restrictive measures, has sparked major protests in Chinese cities in recent days.
For observers in the West, this is the largest movement of dissent in the country since the pro-democracy protests that were harshly suppressed in 1989. China's main security body yesterday Tuesday called for "hostile forces" to be crushed.
The president of the European Council, the institution that represents EU member states, arrives in the Chinese capital today ahead of meetings tomorrow (Thursday) with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and the chairman of the Chinese parliament's standing committee, Wu Bangguo.
Continuation of the "strategic dialogue"
His visit, shortly after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing in early November, follows on from the "strategic dialogue on China" between European Union heads of state and government at the October summit, the European official said.
Charles Michel, having been "mandated" by the 27, responded "to the personal invitation extended to him by President Xi" at the recent G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, he explained.
He will "defend the EU's interests" during the talks, will "raise issues of human rights and fundamental freedoms" and "means to have a frank dialogue" with Xi Jinping, he added.
"The timing of this visit was very well chosen because of the economic and energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine," argued this official, according to whom Mr. Michel "will urge President Xi to use his influence to end Russia's aggression" and "will analyse the sanctions decided by the EU."
It is also expected that the response to the new coronavirus pandemic will be discussed. The trip comes amid intense talks among Europeans on how to position themselves vis-à-vis China, against a backdrop of worsening tensions between Beijing and Washington and as the EU seeks to reduce its abysmal current account deficit with the Asian giant.
"Partner", "competitor" and "rival"
The EU considers - at the same time - China a "partner", "economic competitor" and "systemic rival", a formulation adopted in 2019.
Bilateral relations deteriorated after the 27 adopted sanctions in 2021 following allegations of human rights violations in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Charles Michel is being asked to reconcile the positions of countries such as Germany, which has major economic interests in China, on the one hand, and countries such as Lithuania, which provoked anger in Beijing for receiving a Taiwanese delegation, on the other.
Source: APE
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