Chinese President Xi Jinping called for efforts to bring calm to the war in Ukraine in talks with European Council President Charles Michel, a sign that Beijing may be trying to address one of its biggest points of friction with Europe.
(Bloomberg) — Chinese President Xi Jinping called for efforts to bring calm to the war in Ukraine in talks with European Council President Charles Michel, a sign that Beijing may be trying to address one of its biggest points of friction with Europe.
“Solving the Ukraine crisis through political means is in the best interest of Europe and the common interest of all countries in Eurasia,” Xi said after the meeting on Thursday in Beijing, according to state broadcaster China Central Television.
He added that “it is necessary to avoid escalation and expansion of the crisis,” while also promoting peace talks.
Michel told Xi that the EU counted on China “to contribute to ending Russia’s brutal destruction and occupation,” according to a statement from Michel’s spokesman.
Both leaders “stressed that nuclear threats are irresponsible and highly dangerous,” it added.
China has refrained from criticizing Russia over the war in Ukraine, blaming the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for Moscow’s actions.
Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting Xi in September that he understood Beijing’s “questions and concerns” about his invasion.
Putin had fueled fears of escalation involving nuclear weapons with warnings that Russia would use all means available to defend the parts of Ukraine it had illegally annexed, though Russian diplomats later clarified their use would only occur if the existence of the country was at stake.
The encounter between Xi and Michel came as China’s zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus faces new stress given the costs to the economy and burdens placed on the public. French companies said last week that changes China made to its Covid Zero strategy earlier this month, including pulling back on testing, fell short of expectations.
The European nation’s chamber of commerce called on the government to lift “unnecessary and excessive curbs.”
The statement from Michel’s spokesman said he told Xi about “difficulties faced by EU companies and investors, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.” The statement didn’t mention protests that broke out recently against the nation’s strict Covid Zero rules.
Europe has been trying to carve out a middle ground on diplomacy with China, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling for engagement with Beijing and resisting efforts to divide the world into competing blocs.
That move pushes back at the US, which is trying to convince chipmakers around the world to curb high-end exports to China, limiting progress the world’s No.
2 economy can make in areas such as artificial intelligence and military applications.
Still, the US and the European Union aim to work together to counter what they call non-market policies, including in China, according to a draft statement before high-level talks due in Washington this month.
Macron, on a state visit to the US, meets with President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Last year, the US and other Western nations placed sanctions on China over allegations of human rights abuses on the Uyghur minority group in Xinjiang, prompting a tit-for-tat from Beijing.
European lawmakers then froze a landmark investment deal with China.
The agreement has long faced opposition from China’s critics in the European Parliament, with opponents demanding greater protections against forced labor.
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