China: Xi Jinping dials EU Chief, calls for enhanced strategic partnership

China is willing to bolster its ties with the European Union while also safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests, country’s President Xi Jinping said on Friday. Speaking to European Council President Charles Michel over the telephone, the CCP commander admitted that while the EU and China have differences, it could be resolved through dialogue and negotiations. It is imperative to note that the 27-member bloc has previously slandered Beijing over a range of issues including the treatment of Uighurs and its leadership’s alleged "authoritarian shift".

During the conversation, which was reported by CGTN, Jinping noted that both EU and China are two major forces and growing their strategic communication was in the interest of both. Furthermore, he also invited the European Union to participate in its Global Development Initiative which advocates the spirit of open and inclusive partnership. Michel, meanwhile, backed Jinping stating that recent developments in the international field have prompted the bloc to enhance its strategic relationship with global powers. 

“The two sides should deepen policy communication in the green and digital fields, expand areas of practical cooperation, synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with the EU's connectivity initiative, and strengthen communication and cooperation on climate change and biodiversity conservation,” the TV news service quoted Xinping as saying. 

EU to stick with One China Policy

In addendum, both the leaders also discussed other topics of global interest including the crisis in Afghanistan, digital economy inter alia. Commenting on the situation in Taiwan, Michel said that the EU will continue to maintain its One China Policy but will uphold strategic independence in handling international affairs. 

This comes as it was reported that China and Russia were jointly building a new bioweapons alliance to counter the US influence and hegemony as a part of the global strategy. The two superpowers are bolstering defence and cooperation to leverage their military power in Asia and corner Big Brother amid the regional rivalry and tussle for the geopolitical power, according to Times of Israel. While the US accuses the PRC of spreading the novel coronavirus, which it claims, had leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Beijing in a countermeasure has tightened its grip on the US by making appeals to the United Nations to ensure that the US abides by its convention on biological weapons.

(File Image: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Ministry)