EU’s von der Leyen warns against China’s aggression in Asia during speech in the Philippines

The leader of the European Union’s executive commission cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to warn against mainland China’s increasingly assertive actions in disputed Indo-Pacific waters and against Taiwan and said on Monday that the EU would not tolerate aggression in either region.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke at a joint news conference with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr after holding talks in Manila that aimed to bolster trade, economic and security relations.

The leaders announced the 27-nation bloc would resume negotiations with the Philippines on a free-trade agreement that stalled in 2017 under Marcos’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Von der Leyen also stressed the need for security cooperation, saying Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine showed how authoritarian leaders “are willing to act on their threats.”

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shakes the foundation of the international order. It is in violation of the UN charter and the fundamental principles of international law, such as territorial integrity and sovereignty,” she said.

“This is why Europe supports Ukraine’s brave fight against the aggressor, because the illegal use of force cannot be tolerated, not in Ukraine, not in the Indo-Pacific,” von der Leyen said. “Security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific is indivisible. Challenges to the rules-based order in our interconnected world affect all of us.”