Now more than ever, "sound and stable" relations between China and the EU are needed. This was emphasized by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reports "Reuters".
The ministry made the statement after the United States' pressure to start peace talks on Ukraine with Russia without Europe threatens to shake transatlantic ties.
Criticisms by US Vice President J.D. Vance's criticism of Europe's censorship of free speech and lack of immigration controls at the Munich Security Conference on Friday did little to ease tensions with EU leaders in attendance. In contrast, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi used his address to say that all parties involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine should participate in any peace talks, including the European Union. "China and the European side will inject new vitality into China-EU relations to ensure more security and stability in a turbulent world," said Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the ministry, when asked about the importance of China's ties with Europe at a time when transatlantic relations have faced uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. "China will serve as a stabilizing factor in the multipolar system and firmly acts as a constructive force in a changing world," Guo assured.
Trump's sudden move to broker a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine surprised European allies and gave China - which has also offered to facilitate peace talks - a "gateway" to the European Union.
Wan's speech is a reversal of China's relationship with the European Union after the world's second and third largest economies spent most of 2024 at odds. in a trade of criticism over allegations of overcapacity, illegal subsidies and dumping in each other's markets.
China's close ties with Russia, however, are likely to prevent a significant improvement in relations with Europe.
At Wang's meeting with Kaia Kallas in Munich, the EU's foreign policy chief suggested that Chinese exports of dual-use goods had contributed to the war in Ukraine - a charge Beijing has denied.
"Europe has nowhere else to go because it is not at the table," said Alicia Garcia Herrero, a senior fellow at Bruegel, an influential EU think tank.