2 minute readFebruary 26, 202312:15 AM ESTLast Updated 41 min ago
China’s EU ambassador says EU leaders may visit China by mid-2023
Reuters
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a news conference in Brussels
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a news conference in Brussels, Belgium February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
BEIJING, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Chinese ambassador to the European Union Fu Cong said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel may visit China in the first half of 2023, China’s state-backed Global Times reported.
Preparations for the visit by the EU’s top two officials are under way and “very frequent high-level mutual visits” between the EU and China are expected to begin soon, Fu said in an interview published on Friday.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
Report an ad
The two sides have taken divergent positions on the year-long war in Ukraine, with EU diplomats criticising China’s refusal to describe the conflict as an invasion or to call for a Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.
article-prompt-devices
Register for free to Reuters and know the full story
Register now
Fu said in the interview that EU anger with China over Ukraine was “very irrational” and that China did not want the issue to affect the development of ties with the bloc.
After the Chinese foreign ministry published on Friday a position paper expounding its stance on the war, the EU’s top diplomat in China Jorge Toledo told reporters in Beijing that parts of the paper were concerning.
Latest Updates
Worldcategory
Moscow accuses U.S. of attempts to disrupt Russia-Africa relations
, article with image
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov attends a meeting of Russian President Putin with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Moscow
Worldcategory
‘Not rational’ for China to negotiate outcome of Ukraine war, Biden says
, article with image
U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White House in Washington
View 2 more stories
“There is no mention of an aggressor there which is strange because it’s clear that there is an aggressor and there is an agressee. It’s illegal and unprovoked. So that’s a bit concerning,” Toledo said.
Fu said in December that the war had put China in a very difficult position in its relations with the EU, after Michel urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to use the country’s influence with Russia over its war in Ukraine during a visit to Beijing in early December.