China has told the EU that it cannot allow Russia’s defeat in Ukraine, as it will cause the US to focus its attention on the PRC. The Chinese minister noted that the PRC considers it inevitable that the U.S. will shift its focus to Asia, and in this regard, the prolongation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is beneficial to Beijing.
At the same time, Wang Yi rejected accusations of military or financial support for Russia. According to him, if such assistance had been provided, the conflict in Ukraine would have ended sooner.
Another topic that the minister touched upon with Kallas was the inclusion of Chinese banks in the EU’s 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions – a measure to which Beijing promised to respond.
Such statements were made shortly before a major EU-China summit, thus the expectation of results from “charm diplomacy” did not materialize. Wang Yi also hinted to Brussels about a possible reduction of the summit program.
As reported China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang Yi emphasized Chinese diplomacy’s commitment to peace, inclusiveness and cooperation. “China is not the United States, and the American way of development should not be projected onto China,” he said.
