What Beijing Just Doesn't Get About Brussels
China's stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a big obstacle to maintaining good relations with Europe.
China’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a big obstacle to Beijing staying on good terms with Europe.
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images AsiaPacAfter welcoming Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Beijing in a renewed effort to repair ties with the US, China can now turn its attention to another relationship of critical economic and geopolitical importance: Europe. That conversation won’t be any easier.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, had been scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Monday for meetings with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and other senior officials. The trip was abruptly postponed without explanation last Wednesday. It’s the second time Borrell has been forced to delay his travel plans; he called off a visit in April after testing positive for Covid-19.