The vice president of the European Commission (EC), Valdis Dombrovskis, stated this Tuesday in Beijing that the war in Ukraine is a “global disaster” and that it is difficult “to understand the position of China,” which did not condemn the Russian invasion.
“I have made it very clear, in all my meetings, that reacting to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not only a priority for the European Union, but a decisive factor for practically all our priorities today,” Dombrovskis said at a press conference, after completing a four-day trip to China.
The leaders of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, respectively, declared, on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an “unlimited” friendship between the two countries.
Beijing blocked efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations Security Council and repeated Russian justifications for the attack.
In recent months, China has tried to position itself as a mediator in the conflict and, in February, issued a peace plan, which was criticized by Europe for putting “aggressor and attacked” on the same level.
The European representative stated that Russia’s “unjustified, illegal and barbaric” aggression has caused a “humanitarian crisis” in Europe, with “more than four million refugees.”
“We are committed to supporting Ukraine to victory, no matter what,” Dombrovskis said.
He argued the need to “support the Black Sea grain initiative” as the war “has a profound impact on global security, affecting food security in the developing world.”
“The war also negatively affects the global economy, which affects China as an export-oriented economy,” explained the EC vice president.
The head of European Trade highlighted that China’s position in the conflict affects “not only the country’s image among European consumers, but also among companies.”
“More than a third of EU companies [com negócios na China] indicated that the position [de Pequim] during the war they made the country a less attractive investment destination,” the official said.
Source: TSF
