Due to pandemic conditions – EU-China summit without replacement appointment suspended one of the most important dates of the German EU-presidency. But now the Meeting in September because of the “pandemic was able to” cancelled. 0 comment China’s President Xi Jinping wants to work more closely with Europe. Photo: Keystone
After the postponement of the planned EU-China summit due to the Corona pandemic, China’s state and party chief Xi Jinping has stressed his desire for close cooperation with Germany and Europe.
In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Chinese President said, according to the Xinhua news Agency on Thursday that China is ready to work with Germany and the European Union to cooperate “in order to strengthen the strategic cooperation, multilateralism, maintain, and address global challenges”.
Growing tensions with the US
Against the Backdrop of the growing tensions with the United States, Xi Jinping said that China wanted to help with the EU in this world of uncertainty together to predictability, such as Xinhua quoted. The postponement of the summit was not mentioned in the report.
Xi Jinping stressed that “a number of significant events will be discussed in the exchange between China and Germany, as well as of the European Union”. China is to close consultation, to the success of this project and to raise the relations to a higher level.
The summit was for the 14. September in Leipzig planned. He should be one of the most important dates of the German EU-presidency, on 1. July starts. The aim was to discuss the relationship of the European Union to the mighty trading partner, China and to adjust.
Major trading partner
in Concrete terms, an investment protection agreement should be brought under one umbrella, the European companies have long to wait. China is one of the most important trading partner for Germany and the EU. In addition, the joint fight against the climate should be reiterated change, and the role of the EU and China will be discussed in Africa.
Germany, the EU and China agreed that the Meeting in view of the “pandemic situation” on the scheduled date could not take place, said the German government spokesman, Steffen Seibert, after the phone calls of Merkel with Xi Jinping and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in Berlin. A new date has not been fixed yet. The summit should be rescheduled. Details of this should promptly be discussed.
Since it is obvious that the pandemic pads on both sides of a physical Meeting in September is impossible, have you cancelled it already, said Seibert. A for June the scheduled video conference of President Michel, and the EU-Commission, head of Ursula von der Leyen, with China’s leadership but was planned. The European Union’s relations with China were strained in part because of the new security law for Hong Kong.
Controversial security law
China’s people’s Congress had approved last Thursday plans for a controversial security law in Hong Kong, and thus the basis for the official decree that may be made this month. The law is internationally criticized because it bypasses Hong Kong’s Parliament against activities that are seen by Beijing as a subversive or separatist. Also, it is against foreign interference.
The EU’s relations with China were originally supposed to be one of the Central themes of the six-month German presidency of the Council. However, the Corona has overturned-crisis planning. The focus of the economic reconstruction after the pandemic. The new EU budget for the next seven years needs to be adopted. Also, the Brexit is likely to play a major role, since the transition phase to the UK to exit the EU expires at the end of the year and no agreement is in sight. At the same time, climate protection and digitisation are to be promoted.
(SDA / step)
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