Europe is pressuring Taiwan’s hardening stance after the backlash against Macron’s comments

April 14 (Reuters) – European foreign policy officials on Friday sought to get a hard line on China’s threats over self-ruled Taiwan after French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments sparked a backlash as weak.

China has in recent days conducted extensive military maneuvers around Taiwan, which it claims as its own, and has never given up using force to bring the democratic island under its control.

Speaking about the issue at a news conference in Beijing alongside her Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, Germany’s foreign minister, Analina Berbock, said any attempt by China to control Taiwan would be unacceptable and would have serious repercussions for Europe.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, echoed her comments in a statement prepared for a speech scheduled to be delivered in Beijing at the Center for China and Globalization on Friday, which was canceled due to his COVID-19 infection.

“A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait, through which … 50% of world trade passes every day, would be an apocalyptic scenario for the entire world,” Berbock said, adding that it would have “inevitable repercussions” for European interests.

In interviews published after his trip to China last week, which was meant to show European unity on Chinese policy, Macron warned against being drawn into a crisis over Taiwan driven by “American rhythm and Chinese overreaction”.

While many of the statements were not new, the timing and seriousness of their publication upset many Western officials.

“The EU’s position (on Taiwan) is consistent and clear,” Borrell said in his prepared remarks. Any attempt to change the status quo by force would be unacceptable.”

Ukraine issue

Borrell also said that Europe’s future relationship with China depends on its attempt to use its influence to find a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

“It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for the European Union to maintain a relationship of trust with China, which I would like to see, if China does not contribute to the search for a political solution based on Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine,” said Borrell.

“Neutrality in the face of violation of international law is not credible,” Borrell said, adding a call for Chinese President Xi Jinping to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and for China to provide more humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people.

Xi has met Russian President Vladimir Putin twice but has not spoken to Zelensky since Russia invaded Ukraine in what Moscow calls a “special military operation” in February 2022.

China stated its opposition to attacks on civilians and nuclear facilities in a position paper on Ukraine published in February, but refrained from publicly criticizing Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

“President Xi’s visit to Moscow showed that no other country has a greater influence on Russia than China,” Burbock said.

“It is good for China to indicate that they are engaged in finding a solution. But I must say clearly that I wonder why China has not yet asked Russia the aggressor to stop the war. We all know that President Putin has the opportunity to do so anytime he wants.”

Coverage by Yu Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

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