Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday during a telephone call with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that he expects the European Union to develop its ties with Beijing on the basis of «mutual respect» and without submitting to «third parties».
«China supports the EU’s strategic autonomy and expects the EU to adhere to the basic positioning of China and the EU as strategic partners (…) and to the principle that China-EU relations should not be aimed at, dependent on or subject to any third party,» Xi said, Xinhua news agency reported.
On the other hand, the Chinese leader has conveyed to the German president his wish that Berlin «provides a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies» investing in the European country.
«Xi emphasized that China is willing to cooperate more broadly and deeply with Germany to address global challenges such as the slow economic recovery, climate change, the food crisis and the energy crisis in the post-COVID-19 period,» Chinese state media reported.
For his part, Steinmeier has asked Xi to use his influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin to force peace talks with Ukraine and end the war, the German presidential office said.
Although Beijing and Berlin have reached an agreement to provide COVID-19 vaccines to German citizens in China, tensions between the two countries are high after German intelligence confirmed that China is using at least two secret and illegal police stations to extend Chinese influence abroad.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
