China’s Response to Ukraine Crisis to Determine Its Relations With EU, von der Leyen Says
10:51 GMT 30.03.2023 (Updated: 11:04 GMT 30.03.2023)
© AP Photo / Michal Dyjuk / President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attends during the press conference after the High-Level International Donor's Conference for Ukraine
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China’s reaction to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine will be a "determining factor" for relations between the European Union and Beijing, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her speech on EU-China relations at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
She added that the EU’s relationship with Beijing is very important and will be "a determining factor for our future prosperity and national security". Von der Leyen stressed that the European Union believes that it is critically important to keep lines of communication with China open.
“We need to reinforce the institutions and systems in which countries can compete and cooperate and from which they benefit this is why it is vitally important that we ensure diplomatic stability and open communication with China,” von der Leyen said during her speech on EU-China relations at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
According to the commission's president, the EU wants to reduce risks in relations with Beijing.
“We need to focus on de-risking not decouple and this is part of the reason that I will be soon visiting Beijing together with [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron managing this relationship and having an open and frank exchange with our Chinese counterparts is a key part of what i would call the de-risking through diplomacy of our relationship with China,” von der Leyen added.
