CHINA-EU: EU SET TO WARN CHINA AGAINST ASSISTING RUSSIA TO SOFTEN SANCTIONS
Media reports (March 21) indicated that the European Union looks set to reinforce the U.S.
warning to China that Beijing would face serious consequences if it tried to cushion the blow
of sanctions against Russia or provide Moscow with military support. With the Western allies
aligned on a powerful package of sanctions on the Russian economy and President Vladimir
Putin trying to find room for manoeuvre, China’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine is coming
into sharper focus. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be the main item on the agenda when Xi
Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hold talks with EU Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen and Charles Michel, who chairs the EU leaders’ council. The reports added that
while the substance of the EU message is to be similar to Biden’s, most member states want
Von der Leyen and Michel to couch it in a way that doesn’t come across as a threat because
they don’t want to alienate Beijing. Separately, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng in
a speech on March 19 accused NATO of trying to “flex muscle” in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hours after Xi’s phone call with Biden, Le Yucheng said “One could well anticipate the
consequences going down this path,” and that “The crisis in Ukraine is a stern warning.”
(Comment: Le Yucheng was an Ambassador to India and is considered to be a front-runner for
becoming Foreign Minister.)
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