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Human rights, climate protection and “security law”: EU calls on China to change course. Only then could negotiations on the planned investment deal be concluded.
By Matthias Reiche, ARD-Studio Brussels
In a video conference between China and the European Union, the EU’s trade and economic relations with the People’s Republic were at the forefront of the talks. The human rights situation in Xinjiang and the situation in Hong Kong were also discussed. Both parties did not agree on all issues.
The EU and China agreed, however, that they wanted to speed up negotiations on the planned investment deal. The goal is to complete the ongoing negotiations from 2014 to the end of the year. For this to happen, Beijing must, for example, advance on the issue of market access for EU companies, urged the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who also highlighted the progress in the negotiations.
Concessions were possible on three main points, von der Leyen said. “First, the Chinese state exerted less influence over its companies. Then, on issues related to the transfer of technology required by China and more transparency in subsidies for Chinese state-owned companies. This is an important step forward,” von said. der Leyen. However, he did not want to hide the fact that there was still much to do in other chapters of this agreement.
Mutual responsibility and fairness
China must convince the EU that an investment deal is worthwhile, the EU Commission president said after the video conference, in which Europeans seemed more united than in the past.
It has been made clear that the EU will confidently represent their interests, said EU Council President Charles Michel. “Europe has to be a player, not the playing field. This meeting was another step towards a more balanced relationship with China,” Michel said. “We have clearly stated what we stand for as the EU, where we agree with the Chinese positions and where we don’t.” The European Union had sent a clear and unified message that it wanted to have a relationship with China based on mutual responsibility and fairness.
China should do more to protect the climate
A major topic in the talks was climate protection, on which China would like to see further efforts urged, as Chancellor Angela Merkel said. The issue of human rights was also addressed, such as dealing with the Uighur minority or the situation in Hong Kong, where Beijing’s “security law” violates international agreements.
Chancellor Merkel said the Chinese president had argued from his perspective on these issues. She offered that the ambassadors could travel to Xinjiang province. Merkel was skeptical about whether that would actually happen. In Xinjiang, the Chinese state is said to operate re-education camps for Uighurs.
Dialogue does not mean consensus
“The dialogue on human rights will continue, the Chinese president has offered,” Merkel said. Therefore, there are contact points for a new joint approach. “But that does not mean that there is agreement on these issues,” Merkel said.
In any case, the conversation remains, which is probably the most important result of this video conference. Whether the correct summit will be rescheduled after the corona pandemic, as planned, depends mostly on how well China adapts to Europeans on issues of climate protection and human rights.
