(Reuters) – The European Union and China will have to continue to interact on a range of issues despite their differences, the bloc’s foreign policy leader, Josep Borrell, told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a video call on Tuesday, according to a statement. EU statement.
“The High Representative noted that even if disagreements persist, the EU and China will have to continue to interact intensively in a number of vital areas,” the EU said, adding that Borrell is under pressure because of the inclusive and cooperative nature of the Indo-Pacific. of Europe. strategy.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang said the two sides deserve to continue the trend of greater engagement aimed at building political trust and managing their differences, according to the ministry’s website.
The EU is taking a softer stance toward China, one of its top trading partners, than the United States, which has reached a new security agreement (AUKUS) with Britain and Australia, widely known as designed to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific.
But critics said the deal undermined US President Joe Biden’s broader efforts to rally allies like France after Australia abandoned a submarine deal with Paris to buy American submarines, infuriating France.
In a nod to the new attempt to repair transatlantic ties, Borrell, according to a spokesman, welcomed a set through Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in which they agreed to talks to repair trust in the wake of the submarine dispute.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Additional reporting via Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing through Cynthia Osterman and)
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