"For us Ukraine is the defining moment on whether we live in a world governed by rules or by force. We condemn Russian aggression against Ukraine and support this country's sovereignty, democracy, not because we follow the US blindly, as sometimes China's suggests, but because it is our position. This was an important message for the Chinese leadership to hear." — EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
"We underlined that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not only a defining moment for our continent, but also for our relationship with the rest of the world. There must be respect for international law, as well as for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity." — President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
"At the EU-China summit last Friday, the differences between Brussels and Beijing were palpable. The summit had no deliverables, no joint statement, and no joint press conference. Beijing would not clarify that it would not circumvent sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine. The distance between the EU and China seems to be increasing, with no turnaround in sight." — Theresa Fallon, Director, Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies.
"What we're observing now is an ongoing process by China and Russia to attempt to demolish the economic, security and normative order in Europe and beyond. This leads to the conclusion that China is neither a partner nor an economic competitor." — Justyna Szczudlik, China analyst, Polish Institute of International Affairs.
"China does not want Brussels to coordinate its China strategy with Washington. But in its constant repetition of this theme, Beijing misses the point: Europe has its own concerns about China, independently of the United States... If Beijing continues to back Russia, the EU's most direct security threat, how deep can the China-EU partnership really be?" — Shannon Tiezzi, Editor-in-Chief, The Diplomat.
"Mr. Putin is trying to redraw Europe's borders by force, and Mr. Xi will not condemn him.... Mr. Putin has shown Europe that it needs a new China policy." — The Economist.
At the European Union-China Summit this month, European officials, after years of kowtowing to China, finally stood their ground. EU-China relations are now on a new footing: Beijing no longer calls the shots. (Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)
A much-anticipated EU-China Summit, the first since 2020, has ended as both a failure and a success: a failure because the two sides were unable to agree on anything of bilateral importance; a success because after years of kowtowing to China, European officials finally stood their ground. EU-China relations are now on a new footing: Beijing no longer calls the shots.
EU-China relations have long been on a downward trajectory due to a panoply of disputes, including the worsening human rights situation in China, Beijing's spreading of disinformation to cover up the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, China's unfair trade practices, and its economic bullying of EU member states.
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