Q.
whereas several high-ranking EU delegations met with their Chinese counterparts in
2023, including former Vice-President of the Commission Frans Timmermans, who
attended the EU-China High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue in Beijing on
4 July 2023; Vice-President of the Commission Věra Jourová, who attended the HighLevel Digital Dialogue in Beijing on 18 September 2023; Commissioner Virginijus
Sinkevičius, who took part in the first High-Level Dialogue on Circular Economy in
Beijing on 22 September 2023; Vice-President of the Commission Valdis Dombrovskis,
who co-chaired the 10th EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue together
with Chinese Vice-Premier of the State Council, He Lifeng, on 25 September 2023;
Commissioner Kadri Simson, who participated in the 11th EU-China Energy Dialogue
in Beijing on 12 October 2023; Vice-President of the Commission / High
Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, who
met with the Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission and
Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, during the 12th EU-China Strategic
Dialogue on 13 October 2023 in Beijing; and Commissioner Thierry Breton, who met
with Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing in Beijing on 10 November 2023; whereas
rebalancing the EU-China economic and trade relationship, and market access and
supply chain issues were discussed among other issues during these meetings;
R.
whereas the current strategy for relations between the EU and China dates back to 2016,
and was last updated in 2019, so it would be advisable to carry out a review and update
of it in light of the new geopolitical context;
1.
Recommends that the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High
Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:
Engaging China to tackle global challenges
(a)
continue engaging pragmatically with China to tackle global challenges such as
climate change, the protection of biodiversity, challenges to human health and
pandemic preparedness, food security, the reduction of the risk of disasters, debt
relief for the Global South, financial stability and humanitarian assistance, and
increase effective dialogue with China and like-minded partners on security issues
in view of China’s increasingly critical role in global peace and stability,
particularly in the light of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against
Ukraine, but also in other conflict regions such as the Korean Peninsula or the
Middle East;
(b)
demand that China uphold the rules-based international order, especially the
universal principles of human rights, the UN Charter, including respect for the
territorial integrity and the sovereignty of all states, and respect international law,
organisations and treaties;
(c)
maintain diplomatic engagement while increasing the EU’s assertiveness towards
China in order to assume its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN
Security Council; in this context, further engage China, aiming to stop Chinese
support to Russia’s military aggression and China’s aiding the circumvention of
EU sanctions against Russia, and remind China of its own declared commitment
to play a constructive role in ending Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine,
which encompasses Russia’s immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal of its
troops from Ukraine;