The European Union does not want to escalate tension with China, and the situation of a concluded investment agreement is less dire than one might think, the bloc’s ambassador to Beijing said on Friday.
In March, the European Union imposed its first major sanctions against Chinese officials since 1989 for alleged human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, amid an attack by the United States to incite its allies to increasingly oppose foreign policy. Beijing is asserting itself.
China, which denies the allegations, has responded by putting a few black parliamentarians and entities in the European bloc, and progress on a major investment deal has stalled as relations strained.
In a statement to reporters, European Union Ambassador Nicolas Chapuis said the bloc would not be prevented from saying what it wants.
“We are not looking[…] an escalation, but nothing will prevent the European Union from saying what it wants to say where it wants to, ”he declared.
For the European Commission, the executive of the bloc is halting efforts to promote a comprehensive investment agreement recognizing that it will be difficult to gain the support of the European Parliament as long as parliamentarians are under sanctions.
But Chapuis said the deal’s situation was not that grim.
“The situation is less dire than people seem to think. We are still working very strictly with the Ministry of Commerce. [chinês]”he added.
He said that nothing is preventing China from ratifying the pact before Europe and eagerly awaiting Beijing’s speedy ratification, but that it is necessary to create a “political space” for the European Parliament to l ‘approved.
“Today, it is too early to say whether this political space will be available, and large enough, sufficient.”
During a reception from the European Union, shortly after Chapuis’s comments, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang said the two sides should push for a swift implementation of the agreement. ‘investment.
China hopes the EU can see it “objectively and rationally,” Qin said.