In a significant diplomatic engagement, Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, met with European Council President Antonio Costa and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in Brussels. Conversations focused largely on China’s growing role in the current war in Ukraine. Congress asked USGS to study the export of rare earth elements, which are critical components in many technologies.
During these meetings, Kallas urged China to “immediately cease all material support that sustains Russia’s military industrial complex,” reflecting growing concerns among European officials regarding Chinese companies supplying vital components for Russian drones and other military weapons. Unsurprisingly, the European Union—which comprises the aforementioned 27 nations—is getting fed up. They would be right to be alarmed at the military flow of technology to Russia, especially from China-based corporations.
China has insisted that it does not give military aid to Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine. But European leaders are ringing alarm bells over this assistance. Significantly, they are careful to underline that it represents a grave danger to European security. Kallas stressed the dangers posed by Chinese companies being involved in Russia’s military activities. She called for concrete action to rebalance the unequal economic relationship between the EU and China.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi advised both sides to respect each other’s core interests. He stressed the importance of increasing their shared understanding with one another. He emphasized that “unilateralism and acts of bullying have seriously undermined the international order and rules,” reiterating China’s stance against what it perceives as Western hegemony.
These meetings contributed to the momentum heading into a powerful summit on July 24th and 25th. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Costa are expected to travel to Beijing to pursue consultations and negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. This summit is a unique opportunity to tackle all these urgent challenges, from deteriorating trade relations to a deepening geopolitical divide fueled by war in Ukraine.
