Ukraine war: Chinese trade expo pulls video address by EU Council president urging Beijing to help end Russia’s invasion

Charles Michel’s office confirms the event in Shanghai did not air a pre-recorded message in which he also expressed concern about trade dependency on China
One European diplomat said the incident had added to ‘our frustration when it comes to censorship of the European discourse in China’

Ukraine war

Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels

Published: 10:03pm, 8 Nov 2022

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A video address by European Council President Charles Michel calling on China to help end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was pulled from the opening ceremony of a major trade expo in Shanghai last week.

The speech also referred to the EU’s desire to reduce its trade dependency on the world’s second largest economy, Reuters reported.

Barend Leyts, a spokesman for Michel’s office, said: “As requested by the Chinese authorities, we had indeed provided a pre-recorded message which was ultimately not shown. We have addressed this through the normal diplomatic channels.”

However the incident is not expected to derail plans for Michel to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at next week’s Group of 20 summit in Bali, said a senior EU official, who was not authorised to speak publicly about the issue.

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A European diplomat, also speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the remarks had been pulled by the organisers.

The affair added to “our usual frustration when it comes to censorship of the European discourse in China”, the diplomat said.

According to Reuters, Michel had said: “China has a role in using its influence to stop Russia’s brutal war ... through your so-called ‘no-limits’ partnership with Russia. You, China, can help put an end to this.”

Michel also said that Europe wished to avoid over-dependence on the Chinese economy, Reuters reported - a common refrain among EU leaders in recent weeks.

At a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he was “not aware of the relevant situation … I cannot comment on this”.

European politicians vow to press on with Taiwan visits

The affair comes at a crunch time for EU-China relations. The bloc is divided on how to calibrate a united approach to Beijing

At a European Council meeting in Brussels last month, leaders discussed ways of reducing reliance on China for critical commodities, in line with a broad agreement to avoid repeating the mistake of becoming overly reliant on Russian energy products.

“China accounts for 90 per cent of our magnesium needs, 90 per cent of our rare earths requirements and 80 per cent of the solar panels used in the EU,” the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell wrote in a blog post this week.

“We need to work on reducing these excessive dependencies, addressing vulnerabilities and strengthen our resilience.”

But fractures have emerged among members, some of which want to maintain stronger business ties with China.

Last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became the first Western European leader to travel to Beijing since the start of the pandemic.

Scholz was broadly praised for getting Xi to state publicly that China opposed the use of nuclear weapons – something Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened – but the chancellor also faced criticism for taking a delegation of business representatives in the middle of a heated domestic debate about Germany’s economic exposure to China.

Meanwhile, working level diplomats in Brussels have begun discussing the renewal of sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The sanctions were first implemented in 2020, but must be reconfirmed every year.

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Chinese diplomats touring Europe in recent months have floated the prospect of lifting retaliatory sanctions on lawmakers, diplomats and academics – but only if Brussels lifts its sanctions on mid-ranking Chinese officials first.

However, after an August UN report said China may have committed “crimes against humanity” in the far-west region, it is unlikely that EU member states would accept the removal of sanctions.

Diplomats discussed the sanctions in a working group on human rights on October 5.

The topic is now expected to imminently pass to a diplomatic committee on foreign affairs, before going to the Coreper II group of high-powered Brussels ambassadors, after which the sanctions could be greenlit by ministers from member states before the end of November.