EU Council president set to speak with Chinese leader
歐盟理事會主席將與中國領導人通話
| Charles Michel, Xi Jinping will be speaking for first time since last year
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — European Council President Charles Michel plans to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) on Friday (Oct. 15) in what would be the first direct conversation between the two since late last year, according to reports. The timing comes on the heels of a meeting of the 27 EU leaders last week, during which the need to “rebalance” the relationship between the bloc and China was discussed, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Ties between the EU and China have been strained last year, with the EU sanctioning Chinese officials in March over their treatment of the Uyghur minority, while China sanctioned members of the European Parliament in return. In the end, the tit-for-tat led the Europeans to pause a massive EU-China investment deal that had been nearly finalized. China’s attempts to isolate and punish Lithuania for its relations with Taiwan have also angered Brussels and worsened the froideur. The EU is currently deciding whether to pursue a strategy of negotiating with China using all 27 member states or have a smaller number of key countries take the lead in talks, the SCMP reported. China has been reluctant to talk with the EU since the sanctions, and some European countries have been anxious to right the relationship, according to EU sources cited by the paper. The head of foreign affairs for the EU, Jospeh Borrell, who last month spoke with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi (王毅), recently wrote in a blog post that the bloc should remain strong in its approach to China based on the “partner, competitive, rival” approach, per the SCMP. “For me it is clear that the best way to engage China is from a position of unity and strength,” he added. Meanwhile, Taiwan has been pursuing a bilateral investment deal with the EU, which was promoted in a speech by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to the Forum 2000 Summit in Prague on Monday. “Such an agreement will strengthen our mutual interests and solidify our shared values," said Tsai. "Taiwan is ready to shoulder its share, and we will not take our partners’ support for granted.” She added that Taiwan not only shares the EU’s values but is a leader in many important technologies. |
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| Martin Greene, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2021-10-12 |
