In an hourlong interview ahead of a European diplomatic mission to Beijing, China’s ambassador to the European Union said that critics had misinterpreted his country’s relationship with Russia, and suggested their ties may not be as limitless as their leaders once declared.
The Chinese ambassador, Fu Cong, spoke before Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission travel to China on Wednesday for a three-day trip.
E.U. leaders are struggling to balance their deep trade ties with China against American pressure to toughen their policies, especially in light of China’s support for Russia since the war began. China tries to present itself as a mediator, insisting that it respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine while endorsing some of Moscow’s narrative about the war.
Here are a few highlights of the interview:
Just three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine Presidents Vladimir V. Putin and Xi Jinping signed a joint statement declaring “no limits” to their countries’ friendship. But Mr. Fu said China was not on Russia’s side on the war and that some people “deliberately misinterpret this because there’s the so-called ‘no limit’ friendship or relationship.”
He added, “‘No limit’ is nothing but rhetoric.”
Mr. Fu said that China had not provided military assistance to Russia, nor recognized its efforts to annex Ukrainian territories, including Crimea and the Donbas.
Beijing has not condemned the invasion, he said, because it understood Russia’s claims about a defensive war against NATO encroachment, and because his government believes “the root causes are more complicated” than Western leaders say.
He insisted the lack of a call was of no great importance, that Mr. Xi is very busy, and that there were frequent lower-level contacts between the two countries. Western analysts have contrasted that lack of communication with the close contact of Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin, including a trip by Mr. Xi to Moscow last month.
“I know people are fixated on the presidential call,” Mr. Fu said. “The fact that President Xi is not speaking to Zelensky does not signify that China is on the side of Russia on the Ukrainian issue.”
Mr. Fu blasted the Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken for saying in February that China was considering providing Russia with lethal weapons. Mr. Blinken, Mr. Fu said, was spreading “lies on TV.”
“I had the impression as if two people are quarreling with each other,” Mr. Fu said. “So this ambivalence signifies that Europe has not formulated a coherent policy toward China.”
In her speech, Ms. von der Leyen described the E.U.-China relationship as having become “more distant and more difficult,” and endorsed the view of China as an assertive global player seeking to become “the world’s most powerful nation.”
But Mr. Fu welcomed her statement that the bloc should “de-risk” its relationship with China by setting new ground rules rather than “decoupling” or withdrawing. “I think that is a positive message, we have to give her that,” he said.
China and E.U. nations have significant trade ties — China was the third-largest destination of E.U. exported goods in 2022, and the largest exporter of goods to the bloc — and Mr. Fu said this week’s trip would be an opportunity to refocus on the fundamentals of that relationship.
There are hurdles beyond China’s stance on Ukraine, including issues of human rights. The E.U. imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and entities in 2021 over the treatment of ethnic Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region. Beijing responded with sanctions on E.U. lawmakers, and an E.U.-China investment agreement has been politically frozen since.
Mr. Fu said that he hoped both sides would remove sanctions and finalize the stalled trade deal, known as the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment. E.U. diplomats said that in private meetings in recent weeks, Mr. Fu has suggested China could unilaterally lift its sanctions, if it helped unblock the agreement and produced a form of reciprocal response.
“We are open to suggestions if they think that if China does one thing, and we’ll be able to do another, well let’s talk about this, and we’ll be happy to explore all avenues,” Mr. Fu said of the European side.
In addition to criticizing Mr. Blinken, Mr. Fu accused the United States of unfairly trying to contain China’s development under the pretext of security concerns.
He said Europe should carve out its own policies and develop more “strategic autonomy,” instead of following Washington’s lead.
In saying this, Mr. Fu hit on an open question in E.U. policymaking circles: had Europe drawn too close to the U.S. after their deep alignment over supporting Ukraine, and did this now pose a risk of Europe not acting in its own interests vis-à-vis China?
That question is the backdrop to Mr. Macron’s visit, as it was to the visit of Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in November, with both accompanied by businessmen eager to continue to do deals with China.
“E.U. claims to be a big center, a power center in the world, an independent power center in the world, as much as the United States, as much as China,” Mr. Fu said. “So why does it have to listen to the United States all the time?”
Chris Buckley contributed reporting from Taipei, Taiwan, and Monika Pronczuk from Brussels.
