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Beijing’s top envoy to the EU on Wednesday questioned the West’s call to help Ukraine achieve “total victory” ahead of a possible arrival in Brussels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Fu Kong, China’s ambassador to the EU, criticized the bloc for “eroding” its commitment to Taiwan, warning “senior officials of EU institutions” to stop visiting the self-ruled island.
Fu’s provocative comments on Ukraine and Taiwan, two of the most sensitive geopolitical disputes between China and the West, come as Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow, according to the Russian government.
Fu insisted that the Russia-Ukraine “conflict” was merely an “inevitable” talking point, adding that Beijing otherwise enjoyed a multifaceted “traditional friendship” with Moscow.
“Frankly, we are quite concerned about the potential escalation of this conflict,” Fu said at an event hosted by the European Policy Center in Brussels. “And we don’t believe that providing weapons alone will actually solve the problem.”
“We are quite concerned about people talking about complete victory on the battlefield. We believe that the rightful place will be at the negotiating table,” Fu added.
His comments came on the same day that Zelensky traveled to London, his first trip to Western Europe since Russia launched its full-scale offensive nearly a year ago. Politico reported that Zelensky – who according to his aides has never received his calls from Xi, while the Chinese leader has met or called Putin on multiple occasions over the past year – also planned to visit Brussels on Thursday, throwing the trip into doubt over EU contacts before the fracas.
The idea of a “total victory” for Ukraine is most supported by the Baltic and Eastern European countries. French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged support “victory“For Ukraine.
But toeing Xi’s line, Fu said “security concerns on both sides” — Ukraine as well as Russia — should be taken care of.
Fu also rejected comparisons between Ukraine and Taiwan, both of which face military threats from their nuclear-armed neighbors.
“I have to bring it up [the] The Ukraine crisis and the Taiwan issue are two completely different things. Ukraine is an independent state, and Taiwan is part of China,” he said. “So there is no comparison between the two problems.”
He went on to criticize the European Union’s handling of the Taiwan issue.
“These days, what we’re seeing is some erosion of this fundamental commitment. We see that parliamentarians and senior officials from EU institutions are also visiting Taiwan,” he said.
The European Commission has not released any details of its officials’ visit to Taiwan. The European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomatic arm, did not respond to a request for comment.
If the EU were to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan, Fu said, it would “fundamentally change … or shake the foundations” of EU-China relations. “This is serious.”