The EU ambassador to China and Ambassadors of the 27 EU member states to China jointly wrote an Op-Ed in China Daily on May 6, on the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the European Union and China. It calls the anniversary "an important milestone in an ever more important relationship between our union of 27 European states and China". Recounting the extensive cooperation between the EU states and China, it said clearly "the pandemic will reshape our world" but precisely how would depend on the choices made today. Stating that the pandemic requires a global response, it said "the EU supported China when it was overwhelmed by the outbreak at the beginning of the year, with large donations of much-needed equipment. And now China is returning that support when Europe is in a time of need. That is how true partners act". The Op-Ed concluded with the statement that "the world needs the cooperation of Europe and China, such as climate action, peace and security, sustainable development and upholding the multilateral global order. The EU and China can push forward all of these and more, together." Their letter was, however, not published in full. "A spokesperson for the European External Action Service, the EU's foreign service, said Brussels regretted that the original letter was "not published in full by the China Daily" and noted that it could not have been published without a green light from China's foreign ministry. The Embassies in Beijing of countries such as Germany, France and Italy published the full letter, however, Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the EEAS, retweeted the censored version in the China Daily!

(Comment: This Op-Ed has triggered criticism from a number of European China hands.)