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China urges Ukraine peace, but echoes Moscow to EU guests
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen... appealed to Xi to "bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table."
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von der Leyen said she encouraged Xi to call Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensk*, and that the Chinese leader "reiterated his willingness to speak when conditions and time are right."
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"Arming the aggressor is a clear violation of international law," she said. "This would indeed significantly harm the relationship between the EU and China," von der Leyen stressed.
European Commission signals game over for China investment deal
"The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment [CAI] did not come up," she told a press conference following her meeting with the Chinese president. .... Von der Leyen said she encouraged Xi to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk*, and the Chinese leader "reiterated his willingness to speak when conditions and time are right."
Chinese President Xi calls for Ukraine peace talks
Macron appealed to Xi to "bring Russia to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table."
[...]
Von der Leyen said she encouraged Xi to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk*, and the Chinese leader "reiterated his willingness to speak when conditions and time are right."

"I think this is a positive element," von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen warned China against sending military equipment to Russia, echoing a warning Wednesday by NATO's 31 member governments of "severe consequences" for shipments of weapons or ammunition.

Can Macron and Von der Leyen smooth EU-China relations?
"I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table," Macron told Xi during their bilateral meeting in Beijing. Von der Leyen shared similar sentiments with the Chinese president.
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In a trilateral meeting with Macron and representatives of the European Commission she said that she did not see "decoupling from China" as a viable or desirable strategy for smoothing China-EU relations. But she warned that there were a number of risks and critical imbalances in their economic relationship that should be addressed.
von der Leyen warns in Beijing
"I want to be very clear on that one, that arming the aggressor is a clear violation of international law. It's the aggressor and he should never be armed. And this would indeed significantly harm the relationship between the European Union and China," the European Commission President told reporters in Beijing.
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"I did emphasise in our talks today that I stand firmly behind Ukrainian President Zelensk*'s peace plan. I also welcomed some of the principles that have been put forward by China. This is notably the case on the issue of nuclear safety and risk reduction and China's statement on the unacceptability of nuclear threats or the use of nuclear weapons," she said afterward.  ... "China being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council has a big responsibility to use its influence in a friendship that is built on decades with Russia. And we count on China to really exert also this responsibility and to be very clear in the messaging," she said.
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'Bring back China to reason'
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A topic that was flagrantly avoided [?] by both leaders during their joint statement was Taiwan, despite Beijing sending warships around the island on Thursday following a meeting in Los Angeles between Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. ... Von der Leyen confirmed, when asked by Euronews, that the topic was raised [!] during her meetings with the Chinese leadership.

"We all agree that stability in the Taiwan Strait is of paramount importance. We have a very clear interest in preserving this stability, the peace and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. And therefore, nobody should unilaterally change the status quo by force in this region. The threat to or the use of force to change the status quo is unacceptable. And it is important that some of the tensions that might occur should be resolved through dialogue," she said.

by Cat on Thu Apr 6th, 2023 at 06:28:11 PM EST
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