London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

China calls on Europe to unite against ‘extremist’ US forces

China calls on Europe to unite against ‘extremist’ US forces

We never talk about ‘China first’, Chinese foreign minister says in Paris on second-last stop on European tour.

China has appealed to Europe to jointly confront “extremist forces” in the United States pushing for decoupling, as Washington tries to build a transatlantic alliance against Beijing.

In a rebuke to US President Donald Trump’s “America first” slogan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an audience in Paris on Sunday that “we never talk about ‘China first’”.

“At present, China-US relations are in the gravest situation since diplomatic relations began … [with the US] publicly coercing other countries to take sides and attempting to push Sino-US relations into conflicts and confrontations,” Wang said in a speech at the French Institute of International Relations.

“At this critical juncture of human development, on the basis of responsibility for the fate of human destiny, China and the EU should jointly resist any countercurrents inciting hatred and confrontation.”

Wang is in Paris a month after White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien visited the city to brief European officials on a joint strategy against Chinese technology and geopolitical influence.

The team of Joe Biden, the Democratic Party candidate for president, has also floated plans to work with European counterparts should he defeat Trump in the November election.

Since touching down, the Chinese foreign minister has met a number of French leaders and senior officials, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Laurent Fabius, president of the Constitutional Council.

In his meeting with Macron on Friday, Wang presented the French president with some books on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Macron and Wang also bumped elbows and smiled for the cameras, prompting some French observers to accuse the president of giving too warm a welcome, given concerns over systemic rivalry and human rights in China.


French President Emmanuel Macron (right) meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Friday.


But France is also one of the EU countries pushing for “strategic autonomy” away from reliance on the US.

Against that backdrop, the Chinese foreign minister delivered his strongest anti-US remarks so far on the trip, upping the ante from his previous stops in Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.

“We are pleased to see strategic autonomy in Europe, with a view to providing more stability. On this, China stands together with France, and with Europe,” Wang said.

In a statement, Le Drian said the two discussed trade matters and progress on market access, particularly in the agri-food sector, as well as aeronautics and civil nuclear sectors.

The French foreign minister also raised the subject of Hong Kong.

“The minister reiterated [France’s] position on respect for international law in the South China Sea. The minister recalled France’s serious concerns about the deterioration of the human rights situation in China, in particular in Hong Kong and Xinjiang,” the foreign ministry said.

In a bid to shore up European confidence in China, Wang said China would continue to provide better investment conditions for European businesses, as the two sides were still negotiating an investment agreement, expected to be finalised this year.

Responding to a question on progress on the deal from former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a well-known China watcher, Wang said it was “completely possible” to reach the investment treaty by the stated deadline.

He also urged the EU to negotiate a free-trade agreement with China, although Brussels insisted on completing the investment agreement first.

Wang said he told Macron to play a more active political leadership role in the ongoing treaty talks, to avoid “being dragged into technical details by the technocrats”.

The trade talks are being handled by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the trade division of the European Commission.

EU trade officials have insisted on concrete pledges, such as removing privileges for China’s state-owned enterprises, a condition that China has so far been unwilling to accept.

In June, EC President Ursula von der Leyen called on President Xi Jinping to give “political impetus” to the negotiations.

Over the weekend, EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, issued two articles, labelling China as a “new empire” and calling on EU countries to “correct” economic asymmetries with the country the EU calls a systemic rival.

Wang’s next and final stop in Europe is in Germany, on Monday. Politburo member and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi is expected to visit Greece, Spain and possibly Portugal soon after.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×