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Stating that the EU would not choose sides in the tensions between the United States and China, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU leaders sent a harsh message to Beijing on September 14, according to Reuters.
“Europe is not the playing field,” European Council President Charles Michel, who chaired the EU-China Online Summit, told reporters. This statement comes amid a growing number of countries in Europe that China is not fulfilling its commitments regarding free and fair trade.
The EU is currently China’s largest trading partner with more than € 1 billion a day from bilateral trade. Meanwhile, China is only the second largest market for goods and services in the EU, after the United States.
It is not yet clear how China will respond to these EU requests. During the post-summit press conference, Beijing did not speak on the issue. Neither party reached a joint statement.
Meanwhile, the EU has accused China of violating a number of global trade rules, from overproducing steel to stealing Western intellectual property.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council. Photo: AP
Europe’s attitude towards China is also tougher due to problems related to the epidemic of acute respiratory infections caused by a new strain of the corona virus (Covid-19), as well as Chinese security laws imposed in Hong Kong. what the West claims is a violation of the basic rights of the people of the special zone.
“We take access to the Chinese market and breaking down barriers very seriously,” said European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leye at a press conference after the summit.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Merkel said that she and the two EU leaders had asked President Xi Jinping to clarify whether Beijing really wanted to reach the investment agreement negotiated between the EU and China. . Within the framework of this agreement, China must open its market.
German Chancellor Angel Merkel said the EU and China have “political will” to reach an investment agreement. Photo: AP
“We have pushed … to make progress. In the end, cooperation with China must be based on certain rules: fairness and fair competition,” Merkel said, before she can do so. Show optimism by stating that both the EU and China have “political will” to conclude the deal.
According to the news agency Xinhua News AgencyPresident Xi Jinping agreed with EU leaders to speed up the negotiation to finalize the deal by the end of December this year.
However, the President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed that there are still many barriers in terms of market access and sustainable development.
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