The Chinese authorities have canceled Tuesday the speech of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the Hongqiao Economic Forum by not broadcasting a recorded message scheduled at the opening ceremony of the meeting taking place in Shanghai.
According to his spokesman, Barend Leyts, the President of the European Council was scheduled to participate in the 5th Hongqiao Economic Forum and, at the request of the Chinese authorities, an intervention was recorded.
«We have provided a recorded message that finally has not been shown. We have already addressed this situation through the usual diplomatic channels,» Leyts told Europa Press.
Although Beijing’s reasons for removing Michel’s intervention at the last minute have not been revealed, European sources suggest that the former Belgian prime minister’s message made direct references to the war in Ukraine and the economic consequences of dependence on Europe, an issue that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made clear.
This message coincides with the EU’s hardening of tone towards China in the wake of Russian aggression. During the last European summit, the heads of state and government defended the need to «clarify ideas» with regard to the Asian giant and to be vigilant about economic dependencies, at a time of changes in the world order.
The strategic debate did not result in profound changes in the EU’s position on Beijing, but it did show a willingness to leave behind a certain European innocence when dealing with China. After the summit, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, denounced that Beijing continues its «assertive course» and the «mission of domination» in the Asian region, in reference to the military rhetoric on Taiwan, and showed her distrust for the alliance between Beijing and Moscow in the midst of the war in Ukraine.
