ទំនាក់ទំនងចិន-សហភាពអឺរ៉ុប៖ ជនជាតិអឺរ៉ុបស្វែងរកពេលវេលាប្រឈមមុខជាមួយប្រធានាធិបតីស៊ីជីនពីងដើម្បីជួយបន្ធូរបន្ថយចំណងទាក់ទង

Chinese and European Council presidents are expected to hold talks as early as this month, according to an EU official.

Since their last discussion, tension has risen over human rights and economic practices.

The European Union has pushed for a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the tension in their relationship, according to European diplomats.

It could happen as early as this month, with Xi expected to speak to European Council President Charles Michel, according to an EU official who declined to be named.

Talks with Beijing may follow discussions between the 27 EU member state leaders on China issues next week in Slovenia, which will be used to assess the state of the EU-China relationship, with a view to working towards a bilateral summit. The European Council is formed of the heads of government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council president and the president of the European Commission.

There have been no official talks between Xi and Michel since the end of last year and since then ties have deteriorated significantly. Growing concerns about China’s human rights record and unfair economic practices have pervaded Brussels institutions and EU member countries.

Beijing has denied all allegations on both fronts and, in a stream of public statements, focused on strong economic relations rather than strained political ties.

However, with tit-for-tat sanctions over alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang in March, followed by the freezing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (an EU-China investment deal) in May by the European Parliament, the geopolitical situation has become progressively worse.

Tempers have also flared in an ongoing row between Lithuania and China over Vilnius’s relations with Taiwan, in which Brussels has backed its member state.

European diplomats in Beijing have appeared eager to get Xi personally involved in the talks.

“Diplomatic protocol is not an issue from the EU’s point of view, President of EU Council Michel is higher than the 27 state leaders. And why can’t Xi meet them this year since he has met them three times last year?” said a European diplomat, who also requested anonymity.

“As 17+1 has fallen out, let’s do 27+1, ” the diplomat said, referring to Beijing’s engagement with a group of 17 EU and non-EU states from Central and Eastern Europe that faltered this year following Lithuania’s effective withdrawal and growing calls for a unified EU strategy on China.

Xi spoke by video call with two European leaders – outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s President Emmanuel Macron – twice this year, with all expressing hopes to “increase cooperation” and “expand the EU-Chinese relationship”, according to the Chinese readouts from the calls, despite the Europeans continuing to express concerns over human rights.

While Xi met Michel online on a number of occasions last year, European diplomats said Beijing had reservations about Xi getting personally involved.

Wim Geerts, the Netherlands’ ambassador to China, has also appealed for direct communication between Xi and EU leaders.

“The past few summits took place at the level of President Xi, and I understand that it seems now that China wants to do it at the level of Premier Li Keqiang. Which makes us wonder why. Why downgrade the level of such summits and what signal does it send?” Geerts said in an online forum held by Chinese think tank Taihe last month.

“If China and the [EU] are to successfully engage in practical cooperation we need to engage in good faith dialogues. I believe when things get complicated we have to engage more with each other, not less,” he said.

Since Beijing’s leaders have not personally attended any overseas meetings with counterparts since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, citing worries about health and safety, the annual meeting is expected to take place virtually.

The China-EU summit has been a platform co-hosted by the European Council president, the European Commission president and Chinese Premier Li, but Xi has met his European counterparts on the sidelines of the summit in the past.

As part of annual exchanges between Beijing and Brussels ahead of their annual leadership summit, the EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conducted an online “strategic dialogue” on Tuesday, when both pointed to the necessity of engagement and dialogue, even as Borrell raised the EU’s concerns about China’s human rights record and its desire to strengthen bilateral ties with Taiwan.

An EU official familiar with the talks in Slovenia said the aim was to “discuss the deterioration of the EU-China relations, including the stance towards Lithuania, the freezing of the CAI and how to proceed in the future”.

In September, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa wrote to other EU member state leaders calling for them to use the informal dinner to devise “concrete steps” to support Lithuania in the dispute. Slovenia is the current holder of the EU presidency.

Also on the agenda is the Aukus strategy and its implications for the entire Indo-Pacific region. The EU was left stunned by the news of Aukus, which happened the day before its Indo-Pacific strategy was formally launched and on which it was not consulted.

Ding Chun, director of the Centre for European Studies at Shanghai’s Fudan University, said whether or not there will be top level meeting would depend on the atmosphere when the summit takes place.

“But these days we already see signs of some icebreakers in the China-US tensions, and so I don’t see why icebreakers cannot happen in China-EU relations.

“The meeting between Wang and Borrell has sent positive signs of both sides wanting to further their talks. China’s stance towards the EU has not changed, even with the hiccups on the CAI, it has always been advocating for cooperation.”

Another Beijing-based European studies expert, who declined to be named, said Beijing was closely watching an upcoming European Council meeting due to be held this month, when leaders would discuss the EU’s strategy on China. He added that China’s attitude towards the meeting might also be related to the results of the German election.

“China expects the EU to clarify its strategy towards China, and that will definitely have an impact on China’s attitude towards the China-EU summit.

“China was willing to meet with Merkel, even when not meeting the Brussels leaders, and now China will again observe how the EU will come up with its renewed strategy with Merkel as outgoing leader. Ultimately, China believes that the EU’s China strategy depends much on Germany,” he added.

Once a new coalition government is established in Germany, Merkel – who has been the strongest sponsor of close EU-China ties – will depart.

With the defeat of her conservative union, speculation is rife that a coalition led by the Social Democrats and including two more parties with a hawkish view towards China – the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats – could signal a shift in Germany’s long-standing China-friendly policy, and ultimately see a change in the broader EU-China dynamic.

SCMP