European Union leaders urge Xi Jinping to drop Hong Kong national security law, or risk 'negative consequences'
European Union leaders warned President Xi Jinping of "very negative consequences" over Beijing's plan to introduce a national security law in Hong Kong, while pressing for progress on market access and climate change in a sign of Europe's hardening approach to China.
In a show of EU's impatience, Ursula von der Leyen, who leads the European Commission, called on Chinese leaders to step up the political attention for the ongoing investment talks by the "end of summer" in order to clinch a treaty by year end.
Xi, on his part, fended off the EU's categorisation of China as a rival, pledging to work together with the bloc on cooperation and upholding multilateralism.
Xi's call with von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel followed the duo's summit with Premier Li Keqiang earlier in the day, where Covid-19 related economic issues, EU-China relations, Hong Kong's situation and other international issues were on the agenda.
Chinese state media made no reference about what Xi and Li said on Hong Kong. The national security legislation for the city is expected to be passed by June 30.
"The national security law risks seriously undermining the 'one country, two systems' principle," von der Leyen said in a press conference after the summit. "We also conveyed that China risks very negative consequences if it goes forward with imposing this law."
"The European Union is in touch with our G7 [Group of Seven] partners on this, and we have made our position very clear to the Chinese leadership today and urge them to reconsider," she said. "Of course they have a different standpoint than us, but this is our very clear standpoint we conveyed to the Chinese leadership."
But she sidestepped questions as to the exact measures the EU would take.
On the investment treaty, von der Leyen said: "We continue to have an unbalanced trade and investment relationship ... We expect now to step up and to lift the negotiations that so far have been on a very low level to a higher political level.
"We need to follow up on these commitments urgently. We also need to have more ambition on the Chinese side in order to conclude negotiations on an investment agreement," she said.
The EU's complaints also touched on climate change, despite China's official stance in support of the Paris Agreement.
"China has repeatedly projected itself a leader in global climate issues, and China is indeed on our side on this. However, being a leader brings responsibility to follow up with actions," von der Leyen said.
The duo urged China to commit to climate neutrality as soon as possible after 2050, with von der Leyen adding: "We count on China to live up to its commitments under the Paris Agreement and step them up and lead by example."
But the Chinese leader focused on partnership with the EU at a time when Beijing is facing ongoing confrontation with Washington.
"China is a partner, not a rival," Xi told the EU leaders, according to Chinese state media. "China and the EU do not have fundamental conflicts, and cooperation is far bigger than competition."
He also offered the EU leaders "close communications" to push through major bilateral agendas " an indirect reference to the investment agreement.
China and the EU, Xi said, "should respect each other, create common grounds and accept the differences".
According to the EU's press release, the two leaders also addressed the "deteriorating human rights situation, including the treatment of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, and of human rights defenders, as well as restrictions on fundamental freedoms".
They also touched on "the continued arbitrary detention" of Swedish citizen Gui Minhai and Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were charged by the Chinese authorities of spying.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
