Beijing backs Russia’s war economy - EU warns of tough response
Photo: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (Getty Images)
The security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions has become closely interconnected. Under these conditions, cooperation between partners is critically important, stated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of a debate on EU-China relations.
She emphasized that China's unwavering support for Russia is already creating additional dangers in Europe.
The head of the European Commission said that Beijing is helping Moscow sustain its military production pace.
Such behavior, she noted, is unacceptable and will be a decisive factor in shaping future relations between the EU and China.
Von der Leyen stressed that if China truly supports a rules-based international order, as its leadership claims, then it must condemn Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
She said that the future of EU-China relations will largely depend on Beijing’s position on the war in Ukraine.
"China is de-facto enabling Russia's war economy. We cannot accept this. And I have always said: How China continues to interact with Putin's war, will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward," Von der Leyen added.
China’s relationship with Russia
Recently, China has increasingly demonstrated support for Russia, although this contradicts its official position, which Beijing has held for many years.
In particular, Chinese officials have made it clear to representatives of the European Union that China will not allow Russia to lose or Ukraine to win.
For Beijing, the Kremlin is not only a future lightning rod for war, but also a vital supplier of resources.
China continues to buy large quantities of Russian oil and gas. And recently, it was revealed that Russia has sharply increased its exports of metals to China.
