“President Xi has an important role to play in de-escalating Russia’s irresponsible nuclear threats,” she said after a meeting with Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
“I am confident that President Xi will continue to do so, given Russia’s continued threats to use nuclear weapons,” she added, speaking just hours after President Vladimir Putin ordered the start of nuclear drills involving troops stationed near Ukraine. .
It is necessary to curb the supply of dual purpose goods to Russia
The president of the European Commission, U. von der Leyen, after a conversation with the presidents of China and France, demanded more decisive actions to prevent Russia from getting goods that can be used for military purposes. “More efforts must be made to curb the supply of dual-use goods that end up on the battlefield to Russia,” von der Leyen said after meeting with Chinese and French leaders Xi Jinping and Macron in Paris on Monday.
Dual-use goods are goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. Chinese companies are increasingly being accused of supplying such goods to Russia. For example, the US has already imposed sanctions on relevant Chinese companies.
U. von der Leyen also said: “We hope that China will use all its influence on Russia to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.” Peace and security are said to be a common interest. Xi Jinping, according to U. von der Leyen, played an important role in de-escalating Russia’s nuclear threats. She is sure that he will continue to do so.
U. von der Leyen also expressed the hope that China will use its influence also due to the tense situation in the Middle East. “We believe that China can play an important role in limiting Iran’s irresponsible proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones,” she said.
The chairwoman of the commission noted that it is necessary to use all the possibilities to ease the tension and prevent a bigger conflict in the region.
U. von der Leyen called the joint conversation with E. Macron and Xi Jinping open and honest. It is said that both topics on which opinions agree and those on which opinions differ were discussed.
EU ready to take ‘tough decisions to protect economy’
Von der Leyen said on Monday that the EU would not hesitate to take tough measures to protect its economy and security amid tensions with China.
“China playing fair is good for all of us,” she said after a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. “Europe will not hesitate to take the tough decisions needed to protect its economy and its security,” she said. “We will defend our companies, we will defend our economies.”
According to U. Von der Leyen, there is an “imbalance that is still significant” and “causes great concern”.
She singled out Chinese subsidies for electric cars and steel “flowing into the European market”.
In addition, China continues to “provide massive support to its manufacturing sector” whose surplus production the rest of the world is unable to absorb.
U. Von der Leyen also said that China does not allow EU companies to participate in its market. While she is confident that progress can be made in the talks, von der Leyen said “we are ready to use all the means at our disposal to protect trade if necessary”, adding that “Europe cannot put up with market-distorting practices”.
Macron first urged Chinese President Xi, who is on a state visit to France, to agree to abide by the rules of fair global trade in cooperation with the EU.
“It is clear that the future of our continent will depend on whether we are able to develop a balanced relationship with China,” Macron said.
