China envoy urges EU to develop its 'strategic autonomy'

China envoy urges EU to develop its 'strategic autonomy'

SeattlePI.com

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BRUSSELS (AP) — China’s envoy to the European Union on Wednesday urged the 27-nation bloc to deepen its ties with his country even further and said that he hoped the EU’s desire for “strategic autonomy” will guide its foreign policy in the future.

The EU is China’s biggest trading partner, but they are also economic competitors, and as Beijing has become more assertive in recent years the bloc has struggled to balance its commercial interests with a country that it sees as “a systemic rival” and has human rights concerns about.

The two sealed a major investment agreement in December, but the EU also expressed concerns about freedom of expression, the intimidation of journalists, as well as the detention of human rights defenders, lawyers, and intellectuals in China.

“China and the EU are comprehensive and strategic partners with 45 years of diplomatic ties. The China-EU relationship has stood the test of time and has a solid basis and a value of its own. It’s not attached to any other major country relations,” Chinese Ambassador Zhang Ming said.

Speaking at a Friends of Europe think-tank event, Zhang said the “EU is a strong advocate for strategic autonomy and open cooperation. Hopefully such a spirit will continue to guide the EU’s foreign policy and contribute to world stability and development.”

As the Trump administration abandoned international agreements and organizations, raising tensions with its allies at NATO, French President Emmanuel Macron underlined the need for Europe to have “strategic autonomy” and better manage its own security needs.

The term has sown confusion about Europe's intentions, with some countries seeing it as a by-word for acting independently from the United States, others for greater trade protectionism, or even for breaking away from the NATO military...

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