Global Courant
BEIJING — China has canceled a planned trip by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell for next week, an EU spokesman said on Tuesday.
No reasons were given for the cancellation, which comes as Europe seeks to mitigate risks posed by its close economic relationship with China, which Brussels has called an “economic competitor and a systemic rival”.
“Unfortunately, we have been told by the Chinese counterparts that the planned dates next week are no longer possible and that we now have to look for alternatives,” spokesperson Nabila Massrali said in a written statement to Reuters on Tuesday.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr Borrell was due to visit Beijing on July 10 to meet with his Chinese counterpart and discuss “strategic issues” including human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the EU ambassador to China said on Sunday.
Ambassador Jorge Toledo had told the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Sunday that China and Europe are likely to hold two face-to-face dialogues in September, one on economics and trade and one on digital affairs, ahead of a leadership summit at the end of the year.
“We want to work with China, but we need progress and we need that this year,” Toledo said.
This is the second time this year Mr Borrell’s trip has been cancelled. He was unable to come in April after testing positive for Covid-19.
In a prepared speech to Beijing in April, Mr Borrell said the EU cannot trust China if it does not seek peace in Ukraine.
China has said it wants peace in Ukraine, but its position paper released in February was met with lukewarm reactions from both Russia and Ukraine.
EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who is in Beijing this week for environmental talks, also did not visit China in April because he contracted Covid-19. REUTERS
