FRANCE has urged the EU, UK and US to give up supplies to life-saving coronavirus vaccines amid growing fears that China and Russia are dishing out jabs to extend their diplomatic influence.
In 2020, China overtook the United States to become the European Union's biggest trading partner, according to data released by the EU statistics agency Eurostat on Monday.
The third-largest trading partner for the EU is now Britain, which recently exited the European Union.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on trading and economies across the globe, but China was able to recover swiftly from the pandemic. The pandemic which began in China seemed to have the least negative impacts on its source country.
Europe Challenges China on Human Rights, South China Sea Aggression
The European Union condemned the Chinese regime’s human rights record during a recent meeting, while the latter tried to court more trade and investment with central and eastern European countries.
Around the same time, France sent a warship and submarine to the South China Sea for a “freedom of navigation” patrol, to Beijing’s ire.
Some China analysts said these moves indicated that European countries, though eager to do business with China, were also taking a strong stance against Beijing’s aggressions.
Wang-Borrell Conference
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell held a video conference on Feb. 8.
Xi Jinping profile (Image: Express)
While China has not provided any details of the summit, the Chinese mission to the EU revealed it has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They said: Due the coronavirus pandemic, the [17+1] summit has been delayed from the original schedule last year. Preparatory work for the summit remains ongoing. At present, we are in constant communication with all sides regarding the summit s arrangement.
Estonia s Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets (Image: Getty)
This week, an international relations expert warned China is eager to secure backers in central and eastern Europe amid concerns the Chinese regime is trying to divide Europe in two.
Investment deal good for both China and EU By Carl F. Fey | China Daily | Updated: 2021-02-03 07:37 An outbound China-Europe freight train at Horgos Pass in northwest China s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 20, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]
The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is good for both the European Union and China, and it should be since it took the two sides about seven years to wrap up negotiations.
It is different from other investment agreements in that one can call it a value-based investment deal which will not only boost foreign direct investment but also make investment more fair, transparent, green, and, to some degree, lead to better labor practices.