France’s foreign minister on Monday pressed China on trade and the military conflict in Ukraine ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned visit to France this spring, AP News reports.
Stephane Séjourné, in talks with his counterpart Wang Yi in the Chinese capital, largely adhered to the position outlined by European leaders, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who visited Beijing last week. Séjourné said at a joint news conference with Wang:
The rebalancing of our economic partnership is a priority, as it is for our European partners. The European Union is a very open market, the most open in the world. But the current deficits with a certain number of countries, including China, are not sustainable for us.
European officials have expressed concern that a flood of low-cost Chinese-made electric cars could lead to job losses and disrupt European manufacturing. The EU is investigating whether Chinese government subsidies for electric cars give an unfair advantage to Chinese auto exporters. European companies operating in China have complained that recent changes to national security laws have made investing and doing business in the country riskier.
On the Chinese side, officials have expressed concern about the EU’s “risk mitigation” strategy of not depending on any one country for vital goods and minerals. Wang expressed his understanding of Europe’s stance, but hoped it would not affect sentiment in business circles. He said:
I believe the facts have proved and will continue to prove that China constitutes opportunities to Europe, rather than risks. The two sides are partners not opponents.
Wang also emphasised that China is willing to increase imports of “high-quality French goods and services” and is working to address concerns of European companies, including restrictions on overseas data transfers.
Séjourné said Europe was not becoming protectionist and remained open to investment, possibly referring to attempts to attract Chinese carmakers and other companies to create jobs by building factories in Europe rather than exporting their products from China.
Neither foreign minister mentioned China’s anti-dumping investigation into imports of French brandy, which, along with EU inspections of electric cars, could be a harbinger of a trade war.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, he said France expects China, as a major country, to send clear signals to Russia. However, China has a different stance on the war than Europe and the US, which are backing Ukraine. China may be listening to Russia, but it is not clear what message it is conveying. According to Séjourné, Paris intends to maintain a close dialogue with China to help find a path to a lasting peace in Ukraine.
