Ukraine war: EU urges China to stay neutral but without securing any guarantees
EU leaders warned China not to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine but failed to secure a pledge of non-interference in the war.
Ensuring that China maintains a hands-off, equidistant approach to the conflict was the main goal of a virtual EU-China summit that took place on Friday.
The EU front was represented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and High Representative Josep Borrell. They first held talks with China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang and later exchanged views with President Xi Jinping.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now in its second month, was the main topic on the agenda.
The West fears that a potential intervention from Beijing in favour of Moscow would mark a turning point in the war's evolution and offer the Kremlin a much-needed boost to re-energise its stalled military campaign.
China has played a deliberately ambiguous role in the invasion from the very beginning, expressing support for Ukraine's independence while condemning Western sanctions against Russia.
"We made it very clear that China should, if not support, at least not interfere with our sanctions," said von der Leyen at the end of the meeting.
"No European citizen would understand any support to Russia’s ability to wage war. Moreover, it would lead to a major reputational damage for China here in Europe."
The two presidents emphasised China's status as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and its responsibility to uphold international law and protect Ukraine's sovereignty.
They also used China's profitable economic ties with the EU – and the comparably negligible links with Russia – and the instability injected in the global economy as reasons to refrain from supporting
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