EU top diplomat Borrell talks Russia, Taiwan and de-risking
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Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will be in China from Thursday to Saturday for a series of meetings.
He took part in a written interview with the South China Morning Post to discuss his objectives and the major issues in EU-China relations.
You are travelling to China. What kind of message are you bringing to Beijing?
My visit to China has three main objectives.
My first objective is to reaffirm to my Chinese interlocutors that Europe takes China seriously and has no hidden agenda aiming at derailing its rise. At the same time, we expect from China to take us more seriously and stop looking at us through the lens of its relations with others. Our assessment and conduct is driven by our own interests.
My message to my Chinese colleagues will be that the war in Ukraine has transformed us. It helped us move from the position of an economic power to a geopolitical one, taking its strategic responsibilities very seriously, as Russia represents a huge threat for our security. Just look at the figures. Our commitment with Ukraine is huge: more than €80 billion (US$85 billion). No one in Europe questions seriously the necessity of such a support.