Beijing, 29 May 2023 (TDI): Fu Cong, the Chinese Ambassador to the European Union (EU), said in a statement that China-EU is multifaceted; therefore, both sides should ensure that the Ukraine crisis does not dominate their extensive and multifaceted relationship.
He made this statement when he was interviewed by Bruno Macaes, the New Statesman’s foreign affairs correspondent, on the Ukraine crisis and China-EU ties.
Different Interests in Ukraine Crisis
Regarding the Ukrainian crisis, Fu stated that China has been doing its best to facilitate the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis; however, it is not realistic to expect China to take a position like that of European countries.
Then he notably said that the reason behind the difference in position is due to the different interests of China than that of European states since China maintains good relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
Therefore, he added that “I do not find it sensible to actually link China’s position on the Ukrainian crisis with the bilateral relationship between China and the EU because I don’t think that is fair to China and sensible for the EU.”
Furthermore, Fu refuted allegations that China’s 12-point proposal indicated a strong pro-Russian stance and emphasized that China supports the territorial integrity of all nations.
He reassured that this message was well-received by Russia and emphasized that China does not endorse any particular side in this matter. Fu reiterated China’s commitment to promoting peace and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to prevent further loss of life.
Dependence is not Dangerous
Regarding the EU’s “de-risking” policy towards China, Fu called for clear explanations from European leaders about the precise implications of such policy.
He firmly opposed any interpretation of “de-risking” that would result in China being excluded from global industrial and supply chains, particularly in critical sectors involving key technologies.
Moreover, Fu urged the EU to gain a balanced understanding of the situation and highlighted that the EU’s own report indicates that Europe has less than 1 percent of imports from China that can be considered as having a significant dependency on China.
“It is a mutual dependency between China and the EU” Fu added. He called this a natural result of globalization. “China is dependent on Europe for many other things. For instance, the most prominent example is the semiconductor and especially the chip-making equipment. So we should not exaggerate the dependency.”
If the EU is truly concerned about dependency on China regarding certain things, then the best way is to communicate this with each other, Fu urged the EU.
Finally, the Chinese Ambassador reiterated, “Dependency is not dangerous. What is dangerous is to weaponize the dependency. If the EU has the political will to alleviate their concerns, China is ready to talk to them and come to some agreement. We should not weaponize the dependencies that one side may have on the other.”
On EU sanctions against Chinese enterprises
The EU is talking about imposing more sanctions on Russia, and it’s been said that eight Chinese companies might be included. Fu said that the EU should give China proof that these companies are involved in activities that go against EU sanctions on Russia.
He said, “I understand this 11th round of sanctions is aimed mainly at preventing circumvention. If the EU side has evidence that Chinese companies are engaged in such activities, please show us the evidence.”
Further, he added, “They said that they had noticed a sharp increase in the import of certain items. But I said that there may be legitimate reasons, right? And that’s why I said if you have concerns and if you have evidence, show that to me. Maybe we have a legitimate explanation for that, and we can investigate for you. But unfortunately, the EU side has not picked up or responded to our gesture to resolve this in a cooperative manner.”
Fu then went on to note that China has not supplied any military equipment to Russia and has been extremely cautious regarding dual-use items. China maintains its firm stance against unilateral sanctions that lack international legal basis or UN Security Council authorization, particularly opposing extraterritorial jurisdiction.
He emphasized China’s preference for resolving sanction-related matters cooperatively but cautioned that if the EU persists in imposing sanctions on Chinese enterprises without presenting evidence, China will respond with strong measures.
China-EU: Common interests far outweigh differences
Fu acknowledged that China-EU have ideological and specific human rights-related differences in their bilateral relations.
Having that said, he then added, “But our view is that our common interests far outweigh our differences, So we should not allow our differences to define our relationship. I hope that could be an approach taken by all European countries.”
The ambassador also questioned the “democracy versus autocracy” narrative. “I think this narrative is both misleading and, I would say, even dangerous. Because if you divide the world into so-called democracies and autocracies, first, it’s not correct.”
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“It’s dangerous in the sense that if you divide the world into two different ideologies, into two different blocs, you would be, in effect, taking the world back to the old Cold War days,” Fu noted.
Therefore, the ambassador expressed backing for Europe’s autonomy and integration, noting that China has been the only major power to support Europe’s integration openly. He emphasized that Europe should not be subservient to any nation, including China, as China has no ambitions for such control.
