Today, China again criticized Western sanctions against Russia, while the highest EU officials asked for assurances from Beijing that it would not help Moscow to circumvent the economic sanctions imposed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At the virtual summit of EU and Chinese leaders, European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Layen and European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell asked Chinese President and Prime Ministers Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang to contribute to ending the war in Ukraine.
Von der Layen said that the leaders of both sides “exchanged very clearly opposing views” on many topics, but she expressed hope that China would use its influence to convince Russia that it should end the war in Ukraine.
She added that she expects China not to interfere in the West’s sanctions against Russia, at least if it does not support them.
Earlier in the day, China’s foreign ministry blamed the United States for the war in Ukraine, at least in part, claiming that Washington insisted on NATO’s expansion eastward toward Russia’s borders.
Chinese Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned that Beijing “does not approve of resolving the problem through sanctions” and that, when it comes to Ukraine, it will not be forced “to choose a side or adopt a simplified friend-enemy approach.”
“As the culprit and the main instigator of the Ukrainian crisis, the United States has led NATO to expand eastward five times in the last two decades. The number of NATO members has almost doubled since 1999, from 16 to 30 countries, which has put pressure on Russia. wall step by step “.
Although it claims not to be a party to the conflict, China has declared a “partnership without restrictions” with Russia and refuses to condemn its invasion of Ukraine. Beijing regularly spreads Russian misinformation about the conflict and does not call it an invasion or war, just as Moscow does not.
Today’s summit of the EU and China was held at a time of increasingly negative mood within the Union towards Beijing, which is criticized for aggressive foreign policy and trade practices.