London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Chinese foreign minister: EU diplomacy is ‘contradictory’

Chinese foreign minister: EU diplomacy is ‘contradictory’

Comments suggest hardening of Beijing’s line amid drive for climate cooperation

Beijing has stepped up criticism of Europe's "triple position" policy on China which simultaneously considers the Asian superpower a partner, competitor and systemic rival.

"The EU's triple positioning for China is mutually contradictory and cancels itself out," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Maltese counterpart Evarist Bartolo in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Friday.

"China and Europe are partners, not competitors," said Wang, according to a statement issued by the Chinese government. "China and Europe have neither serious conflicts of interest, nor historical imbroglios."

Wang has long dismissed the notion that China is a rival for Europe but his latest comments represent a more-forceful criticism of the EU's three-pronged approach.

The EU adopted that stance in 2019 aiming for a balanced approach that includes human rights sanctions and tougher foreign subsidy screening, while increasing cooperation in areas such as climate change and boosting economic ties, most notably by clinching an investment pact half a year ago.

Lately however, the EU has turned tougher. In a progress report on relations in April, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen slammed Beijing's "authoritarian shift" and said EU member countries should not have their differences with China "brushed under the carpet."

Wang's use of the word "contradictory" is in line with a recently hardening of Beijing's position, as Western countries step up calls for cooperation on carbon emissions ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in November, while tensions mount in other areas, notably the situations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang and concerns over the use of Chinese technology.

Earlier this week, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian cautioned that climate cooperation with Washington would be "closely related to the overall health of Sino-U.S. relations," after U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry urged China to curb emissions quickly.

Such comments are raising questions over whether China will attempt to leverage climate cooperation in its strained overall relationship with the U.S. and Europe.

Malta expresses tech concerns


Underlining Europe's concerns, Malta's Bartolo launched a veiled attack at China's approach to technology use during his talks in China.

"The world has the resources, scientific advancement and sufficient technology to feed mankind, heal most diseases and educate billions of children. It is up to the politicians to decide whether knowledge and wealth is used to liberate or enslave people, for peace and prosperity or for war and misery," he told Wang, according to a Maltese government readout.

Apparently echoing a joint transatlantic effort this week to name and shame China over massive cyberattacks on Microsoft servers, Bartolo added: "No country should allow its territory to wage cyber-war on other countries."

Malta was one of only four EU countries that refused to sign a joint statement last month expressing concern over the situation in Xinjiang in the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. It is also one of the few EU members which have joined Beijing's Belt and Road initiative, a multibillion-dollar consortium of global infrastructure plans that the EU views as a potential threat.

Wang expressed China's appreciation of Malta's stance on what it considers core sovereignty issues.

"China places emphasis on Malta's geographical advantage," Wang told Bartolo. "We'd like to sign an implementation proposal with Malta on [Belt and Road] and make plans for a pragmatic bilateral relationship in the post-coronavirus era."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×