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China has called on Europe to jointly confront US “extremist forces” pushing for decoupling as Washington tries to build a transatlantic alliance against Beijing.
In a reprimand of US President Donald Trump’s “America First” slogan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an audience in Paris on Sunday that “we never talk about ‘China First.’
“At present, the relations between China and the United States are in the most serious situation since diplomatic relations began … [with the US] publicly coerce other countries to take sides and try to push Sino-US relations into conflict and confrontation, “Wang said in a speech at the French Institute of International Relations.
“At this critical juncture in human development, on the basis of responsibility for the fate of human destiny, China and the EU must jointly resist any countercurrent that incites hatred and confrontation.”
Wang is in Paris a month after White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien visited the city to brief European officials on a joint strategy against Chinese technology and geopolitical influence.
The team of Joe Biden, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, has also come up with plans to work with his European counterparts in the event he defeats Trump in the November election.
China’s top diplomats on ‘unprecedented’ back-to-back trips to Europe amid tensions with the US
Since landing, China’s foreign minister has met with several French leaders and senior officials, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Laurent Fabius, president of the Constitutional Council.
In his meeting with Macron on Friday, Wang presented the French president with some books on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
Macron and Wang also rubbed shoulders and smiled for the cameras, prompting some French observers to accuse the president of giving too warm a welcome, given concerns about systemic rivalry and human rights in China.
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Photo: Xinhua
But France is also one of the EU countries pushing “strategic autonomy” away from dependence on the United States.
Against that backdrop, China’s foreign minister delivered his strongest anti-American remarks yet on the trip, upping the ante from his previous stops in Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.
“We are pleased to see a strategic autonomy in Europe, with a view to providing more stability. In this, China joins France and Europe, ”said Wang.
In a statement, Le Drian said the two discussed trade issues and progress in market access, particularly in the agri-food sector, as well as in the aeronautical and civil nuclear sectors.
The French chancellor also raised the Hong Kong issue.
“The minister reiterated [France’s] position on respect for international law in the South China Sea. The minister recalled France’s serious concern about the deterioration of the human rights situation in China, particularly in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, ”the Foreign Ministry said.
In an attempt to shore up European confidence in China, Wang said China will continue to provide better investment conditions for European companies, as the two sides are still negotiating an investment deal, which is expected to end this year.
Responding to a question about the progress of the deal from former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a well-known Chinese observer, Wang said it was “entirely possible” to reach the investment treaty within the set deadline.
He also urged the EU to negotiate a free trade agreement with China, although Brussels insisted on completing the investment agreement first.
Wang said he told Macron to play a more active political leadership role in the ongoing treaty talks, to avoid “being drawn into technical details by technocrats.”
Trade talks are led by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the trade division of the European Commission.
EU trade officials have insisted on concrete commitments, such as the removal of privileges for China’s state-owned companies, a condition that China has so far been unwilling to accept.
In June, EC President Ursula von der Leyen called on President Xi Jinping to give “political momentum” to the negotiations.
Over the weekend, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, published two articles, labeling China a “new empire” and calling on EU countries to “correct” economic asymmetries with the country that the EU calls it a systemic rival.
Wang’s next and last stop in Europe is in Germany on Monday. China’s Politburo member and top diplomat Yang Jiechi is expected to visit Greece, Spain and possibly Portugal soon after.
This article China calls on Europe to unite against ‘extremist’ US forces first appeared in South China Morning Post
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