Fu Cong: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “becoming a problem” for China-EU relations

Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘becoming a problem’ for relations between China and European Union (European Union), admitted in an interview with a Hong Kong newspaper the new ambassador of the Asian country to the “Twenty-seven” Fu Kong. South China Morning Post.

Fu, who this month took over a post that had been vacant for a year, also said the war had put China “in a very difficult situation,” as Beijing “does not want to choose between friends,” referring to ties with Moscow and Kyiv.

The diplomat assured that China suffered “collateral damage” as a result of “this crisis”, and accused the US of “profiting from it” not only by selling arms, but also because of the situation of the energy crisis that European countries have entered.

On Sino-Russian relations, Fu urged Europeans to “not overinterpret the terminology” of an agreement signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, which called for “unlimited cooperation.” “.

Asks the EU to ratify the Comprehensive Investment Agreement

The Ambassador expressed regret that the agreement continues to be invoked to accuse China be “on the wrong side” despite “facts showing that China is not offering military assistance to Russia” and that the day after the invasion, Xi urged Putin to “explicitly encourage efforts to find a peaceful solution.”

“Our position was quite balanced (…) and we are ready to participate in any peace initiative,” he added.

In an interview, Fu also accused European Union promote trade measures “bordering on protectionism or outright discrimination” and called on Brussels to ratify the Comprehensive Investment Agreement (CAI), which was blown aground last year by an exchange of sanctions over alleged human rights violations in China’s northwest region. Xinjiang.

“If the Europeans are so concerned about their market access in China, why don’t they ratify the CAI?” he said, before issuing a statement that Beijing is ready to lift sanctions that affected several MEPs, among other things, if Brussels raises their own, imposed on various high-ranking officials in the region, “at the same time.”

(EFE)