Coronavirus may disrupt China’s diplomatic agenda, US trade deal, observers say
- Chinese and European leaders have a series of talks lined up, including Vice-Premier Liu He’s trip to Brussels, but for now there is ‘no change of plans’
- Outbreak will also ‘seriously impact ongoing bilateral discussions and the implementation of the phase one agreement’ with Washington
More than 360 people have been killed by the pneumonia-like illness since the outbreak began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December – more than the death toll during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic in 2002-03. It has sickened more than 17,000 people in mainland China, and cases have been confirmed in over a dozen other places.
Chinese and European leaders have an intensive line-up of talks scheduled for this month and next, including a trip by Vice-Premier Liu He to Brussels for an economic dialogue in the middle of February. Talks between China and the European Union are also due to be held on strategic issues, climate change and human rights ahead of their annual summit at the end of March, to be hosted by Beijing.
As the Chinese government scrambles to contain the outbreak, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked if the EU-China summit would be delayed, said Beijing and Brussels had maintained “political and diplomatic communication”.
“We will continue to make meticulous preparations for the next-stage major diplomatic agenda,” she said on Monday.
The EU delegation in China also said the two sides were in close contact and “regarding the schedule of EU-China meetings, to date there is no change of plans although the situation is obviously evolving day by day”.