Chinese foreign minister seeks to mend fences with EU in Rome

Wang Yi held separate meetings with Italian and Dutch leaders and his French counterpart on sidelines of G20 summit

Tensions have escalated between China and the bloc over a growing list of issues including Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan

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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as he arrives for the G20 summit in Rome on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 5:30pm, 1 Nov 2021Updated: 10:27pm, 1 Nov 2021

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with several European leaders on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rome, seeking to repair ties with the EU.

Wang, who is attending the Rome summit on behalf of President Xi Jinping, had separate meetings on Sunday with the leaders of Italy and the Netherlands.

In talks with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Wang urged the European Union to “stick to strategic autonomy, exclude interference and build consensus on dialogue and cooperation”, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry on Monday.

“China and Europe are partners rather than rivals, collaborators rather than competitors,” Wang told Draghi. “We do hope the Italian side can play an active role in the healthy development of China-EU relations.” He said mutual respect was necessary and the two sides should see their development in an “inclusive mind” and accept each other’s differences.

The Italian government said the talks “focused on the prospects of the bilateral cooperation, on the relations between the EU and China and on the opportunity to restart the dialogue on human rights”.

Relations have deteriorated between China and the European Union. Photo: Reuters