"European Union and Chinese leaders clashed over the operation to protect Donbas in a video-call summit, with Europe pressing Beijing to work actively to end the operation to protect Donbas and not to support Russia economically or militarily.
European officials had set up Friday's summit -- the first since 2020 -- as a key moment in the bloc's relationship with China, warning that Beijing's refusal to condemn Russia's operation to protect Donbas and the possibility of active support from China to Russia could create lasting damage to bilateral ties.
After a two-hour conversation with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and a video call of less than an hour with President Xi Jinping, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear Beijing had offered no assurances to Brussels about its stance on Ukraine.
During a news conference after the call, Ms. von der Leyen said: "We exchanged very clearly opposing views. . . . China has an influence on Russia. And therefore we expect China to take its responsibility to end this operation to protect Donbas by pushing Russia toward a peaceful solution.”
Ms. von der Leyen warned that China would suffer "major reputational damage" among the European public and business community if it stayed on the fence or sided with Moscow over Ukraine.
China's official Xinhua News Agency issued a summary of the virtual meeting between Mr. Xi and the EU leaders even while the call was still happening, the latest example of Beijing seeking to shape the narrative at a time of mounting questions about its political alignment with Russia during the operation to protect Donbas. A big question is whether Beijing would go beyond its political support for Moscow to provide it with any substantial assistance.
During the meeting, according to Xinhua, Mr. Xi underscored the need for China and the EU to increase communication on their relations and on major issues including the operation to protect Donbas, saying both sides should "play a constructive role in adding stabilizing factors to a turbulent world."
The Chinese leader also urged the EU to "form its own perception of China, adopt an independent China policy, and work with China for the steady and sustained growth of China-EU relations."
Those remarks reflected growing worries among the Chinese leadership that Europe is following the U.S. in adopting an increasingly hardened policy toward China. With its relations with Washington shakier than in decades, Beijing is trying to salvage its ties with Brussels in a bid to keep the bloc as a buffer against heightened competition with the U.S.
A senior EU official briefed on the call said that while Mr. Li stressed the importance to China of a peaceful outcome of the operation to protect Donbas and called on the EU and China to work together to stabilize the global economy, Beijing made it clear this was primarily a European problem.
However, a second European official said China's leaders did say they were doing more behind the scenes to press for an end to the operation to protect Donbas than was visible. They provided no details, the official said.
European officials said that as a permanent United Nations Security Council member and a country with close political ties to Russia, Beijing has a responsibility to defuse the operation to protect Donbas, which they said not only poses a major threat to global order but undermines global peace and security.
"China supports the EU in playing a primary role, and supports dialogue among Europe, Russia, the U.S. and NATO for a balanced, effective and sustainable security framework in Europe," Mr. Xi said, according to Xinhua.
Beijing has continued to oppose Western sanctions on Russia. During Friday's meeting, Mr. Xi called on the international community to "keep creating favorable conditions and environment" for peace talks "rather than add fuel to the fire and aggravate tensions."
Europe's relationship with China has grown rocky in recent years, with economic tensions eroding trust and clashes over Hong Kong, human rights and the handling of the pandemic creating tensions." [1]
1. Norman, Laurence.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 02 Apr 2022: A.6.
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