EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has defended her plan to go to China instead of to Thursday's (2 September) Middle East peace talks following criticism by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner. In a detailed statement issued over the weekend, her office said the Beijing trip is "very important" due to upcoming discussions by EU leaders on a strategic partnership with the Asian country and in order to build personal relations with her Chinese counterpart, Dai Binguo.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has defended her plan to go to China instead of to Thursday's (2 September) Middle East peace talks following criticism by French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner.
In a detailed statement issued over the weekend, her office said the Beijing trip is "very important" due to upcoming discussions by EU leaders on a strategic partnership with the Asian country and in order to build personal relations with her Chinese counterpart, Dai Binguo.
