China and EU to hold talks on Tuesday as sanctions, Aukus and Lithuania throw up complications

The 11th ‘strategic dialogue’ coincides with the end of the China-friendly Merkel era and as France reels from a security pact snub

A backlash against China by member states and European parliamentarians led to the freezing of a long-negotiated investment pact

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will lead talks along with the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell. Photo: Chinese foreign ministry

Published: 4:11pm, 24 Sep 2021Updated: 11:37pm, 24 Sep 2021

Top diplomats from the European Union and China will hold official talks on Tuesday, sources in Brussels and Beijing said, as swirling geopolitical headwinds continue to gather pace.

The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell is expected to lead the talks, along with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi by video link, sources said. European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans will meet Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng.

The 11th “strategic dialogue” between the two powers comes at a delicate moment.

Certain quarters of the EU – especially France – are reeling after being omitted from the nascent Aukus security pact between Australia, Britain and the United States signed last week and designed to act as a counterbalance to China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.

It also comes on the heels of the German federal election, which will eventually, once the coalition government is established, lead to the departure of Angela Merkel, who has been the strongest sponsor of close EU-China ties.

The dialogue is part of annual exchanges between Beijing and Brussels ahead of their annual leadership summit. The EU will discuss China issues in early October, including when and how the EU side wants to meet leaders in Beijing this year.

At the last such summit, held in June last year, the powers talked about concluding a bilateral investment deal, which was then finalised before being binned by the European Parliament over sanctions relating to alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

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