Xi Jinping’s September meeting with EU leaders in Germany postponed due to coronavirus
- ‘Given the overall pandemic situation, the meeting cannot take place at the scheduled time, but should be rescheduled,’ says spokesman for Angela Merkel
- Merkel initially hoped to use the event to persuade Xi to agree to a long overdue EU-China investment agreement, sources say
It also comes amid the EU’s growing calls to be more assertive to China’s geopolitical power, laying out plans to stop foreign entities – a nuanced reference to Chinese companies – potentially taking over struggling European counterparts during a post-pandemic economic crisis.
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“The three sides emphasised the importance of this plan,” said Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert.
“They agreed that, given the overall pandemic situation, the meeting cannot take place at the scheduled time, but should be rescheduled. The details should be agreed upon soon,” he said.
But Xi boosted momentum for cooperation in the phone call, saying China was willing to work with Germany to support the World Health Organisation – which US President Donald Trump said he planned to leave.
Xi said the long-term prospects for China’s economic development were still positive, and China was committed to continuing to open up its market for foreign investors.
“China will continue to create a favourable environment for German businesses to invest,” he was quoted by as saying Xinhua.