German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged China to allow more flights from Europe as the two leaders pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to engage more closely with the bloc.
China and the European Union have struggled to keep cooperation afloat as the bloc’s leaders have turned sharply toward criticizing Beijing’s human rights record. The overall focus of the video call, which covered a wide range of topics, was to try and fix that.
Merkel and Macron have sought to establish a more independent EU foreign policy from the U.S., especially when it comes to dealing with China and Russia. Last month the two leaders also tried to restart EU talks with the Kremlin, which haven’t been held since Russia’s annexation of Crimea. But the plan was overruled by member states that were uncomfortable with the idea.
Merkel told reporters one “positive development” from Monday’s call was that Xi signaled China’s willingness to cooperate with the EU in Africa.
“This can only be a good thing if we discuss our respective standards and approach” to Africa, the outgoing German leader told reporters in Berlin after hosting a separate video conference on the Western Balkans.
“We will continue talks on how far we can cooperate and how far there are differences,” she said, adding that collaboration could be coordinated through the Compact With Africa program that Germany launched during its presidency of the Group of 20 in 2017.
“For the recipient countries in Africa, it’s of course always good if we avoid having many different actors with completely differing approaches,” Merkel said.
Merkel, Macron and Xi have used their trilateral forum to further engagement, including a Dec. 30 call involving EU officials that sealed an investment agreement that later ran aground.
The two European leaders urged China to ease restrictions for Europeans wanting to travel to the country, an Elysee official familiar with the discussion said. The official also said that the three leaders agreed that there’s a window of opportunity to revive the Iran nuclear deal that must be seized.
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They said Europeans must have better access to the Chinese market and requested fair competition so that foreign companies in China can benefit from conditions similar to the ones that Chinese firms have in Europe, according to the official, who asked not to be identified.
The discussion included cooperation in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, global vaccine supply as well as international and regional issues, Merkel’s chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in an emailed statement.
They also talked about climate protection and biodiversity, with the chancellor and Macron calling for further adjustments to short-term CO2 reduction targets and additional common efforts to protect biodiversity.
Sharper Tone
The Elysee official didn’t detail the exchanges on human rights, but said that Merkel and Macron evoked China’s crackdown on its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province, as well as its treatment of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Europeans have adopted a sharper tone with China alongside U.S. President Joe Biden’s ambitions to bring traditional allies in line to press for action over democracy and human rights. China’s treatment of the Uyghur has emerged as a key point of tension, with officials on the two sides coming under sanctions. In May, EU lawmakers scuppered the ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment.
China has denied claims by human rights groups that it forced ethnic Muslims into internment camps, work programs and birth-control initiatives. A United Nation assessment said anywhere from tens of thousands to “ upwards of 1 million” Uyghurs have been detained.
Statements by the Group of Seven and North Atlantic Treaty Organization voicing anxiety over China’s assertiveness both at home and abroad have also caused friction. Merkel and Macron have advocated a middle ground with China, whose cooperation they see as vital to global efforts to fight climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
— With assistance by Iain Rogers
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