China president Xi urges calming Ukraine crisis in talks with European Council’s Michel

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping called for efforts to bring calm to the Ukraine war in talks with European Council head Charles Michel, a sign that Beijing may be trying to address one of its biggest points of friction with Europe.

“Solving the Ukraine crisis through political means is in the best interest of Europe and the common interest of all countries in Eurasia,” Mr Xi said after the meeting on Thursday in Beijing, according to state broadcaster China Central Television. He added that “it is necessary to avoid escalation and expansion of the crisis”, while also promoting peace talks.

Mr Michel told Mr Xi the EU counted on China “to contribute to ending Russia’s brutal destruction and occupation”, according to a statement from Mr Michel’s spokesman. Both leaders “stressed that nuclear threats are irresponsible and highly dangerous” during their three hours of discussions.

Speaking alone at a news conference following his meeting, Mr Michel said Mr Xi had also “made very clear” that China is not providing weapons to Russia. 

“We all share the responsibility to work for peace and to respect the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter,” Mr Michel said. “I urged President Xi, as we did at our EU-China summit in April, to use his influence on Russia to respect the UN charter.”

Mr Xi’s remarks illustrate China’s recent push to put some space between Beijing and Moscow since Russia’s President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February.

China has refrained from criticising Russia over

the war in Ukraine,

blaming the expansion of Nato for Moscow’s actions.

Still, China signed off on a communique at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia in November that said “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine”. Mr Xi also reinforced his opposition to the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine during talks with US President Joe Biden at the G-20. 

The Russian leader had said after meeting Mr Xi in September that he understood Beijing’s “questions and concerns” about his invasion.

Mr Putin had fuelled fears of escalation involving nuclear weapons with warnings that Moscow would use all means available to defend the parts of Ukraine it had illegally annexed, though Russian diplomats later clarified their use would only occur if the existence of the country was at stake.  

The encounter between Mr Xi and Mr Michel came as China’s zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus faces new stress given the costs to the economy and burdens placed on the public. French companies said last week that changes China made to its Covid-19 strategy last month, including pulling back on testing, fell short of expectations. The European nation’s chamber of commerce urged the Chinese government to lift “unnecessary and excessive curbs”.

The statement from Mr Michel’s spokesman said he told Mr Xi about “difficulties faced by EU companies and investors, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic”. It did not mention protests that broke out recently against the nation’s strict virus rules.

At the news conference, Mr Michel said he discussed the protests with Mr Xi as well as the “acceptance by societies of the measures and the reactions by authorities”. He said both sides had agreed to resume a human rights dialogue, adding that “for the EU, the right of assembly is an important fundamental right”.

Also on Thursday, China called for an investment agreement with Europe to be finalised. European lawmakers voted to halt ratification of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment due to a dispute over human rights issues and both sides levying sanctions.

The deal is “good for China, Europe and the world”, Ms Shu Jueting, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing, said at a press briefing. “China and Europe should work together to push for signing and entering the agreement into force so that it can benefit companies and the public on both sides soon.”

Europe has been trying to carve out a middle ground on diplomacy with China, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling for engagement with Beijing and resisting efforts to divide the world into competing blocs.

That move pushes back at the US, which is trying to convince chipmakers around the world to curb high-end exports to China, limiting progress the world’s No. 2 economy can make in areas such as artificial intelligence and military applications.

Still, the US and the European Union aim to work together to counter what they call non-market policies, including in China, according to a draft statement before high-level talks due in Washington this month. Mr Macron, on a state visit to the US, meets President Joe Biden on Thursday.

Last year, the US and other Western nations

placed sanctions on China over allegations of human rights abuses on the Uighur minority group in Xinjiang,

prompting a tit-for-tat from Beijing. European lawmakers then froze a landmark investment deal with China.

The agreement has long faced opposition from China’s critics in the European Parliament, with opponents demanding greater protections against forced labour. BLOOMBERG