The EU proposes to the United States to start a dialogue on challenges posed by China
On Monday, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, proposed to the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, a bilateral dialogue on the challenges posed by China, an issue that has been at the centre of discussions between EU and US foreign ministers.
"I suggested initiating a separate bilateral dialogue that would focus on China and the challenges that its actions and ambitions mean to us, the United States and the EU," Borrell announced at a press conference following the video conference of EU foreign ministers that he had joined, in a segment dedicated to transatlantic relations, Pompeo.
Borrell made it clear that this relationship is "one of the pillars of the world order" and this was reaffirmed by their telematic meeting today, which made it clear that "although we may not agree on everything, our commitment to transatlantic cooperation is stronger than ever".
China was one of the items on the agenda, but the one in which Pompeo was most interested, according to EU sources. Borrell said they exchanged views on "China and its growing assertiveness on many fronts" and acknowledged that "there are issues that we face together in the relationship with China and where our close cooperation is very important to address them together". "This includes, of course, the situation in Hong Kong", where the EU has already warned that new legislation passed by Beijing jeopardises the city's semi-autonomy.
Borrell said a specific dialogue between Washington and Brussels on China would serve to "keep us together, share concerns and have a common basis to defend our values and interests". Another major issue they have addressed has been the Middle East peace process, where the EU made clear that "it is important to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to engage in a credible and meaningful political process".
Borrell acknowledges that the proposed US plan for the area "created some momentum" that can be used to "initiate joint international efforts", but "on the basis of existing internationally agreed parameters", something that the US proposal does not fit in with, he recalled.
In that sense, he warned of the "consequences" that the annexation that Israel is contemplating on the part of the West Bank could have for the prospects of a two-state solution. Borrell admitted that Pompeo realised that there are "different views among the member states" on the conflict in the Middle East, but that he "did not say he agreed with some and disagreed with others".
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, indicated that Spain has tried to "use" the US initiative to "seek negotiations between Israel and Palestine" to avoid "unilateral movements of annexation and preserve the channel of negotiation between the two parties in favour of peace and security". He also highlighted the "right tone" of the conversation with Pompeo, and pointed out that "seeking the things that unite us" is part of the transatlantic relationship.
"Sometimes there are things we don't agree on, but we are able to have that discussion in a calm way," he said. The European ministers and Pompeo also discussed the situation in Ukraine or the threat of disinformation, but González Laya confirmed that they did not discuss "tariff issues" such as the retaliation that the EU will be able to impose on the United States when the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules on illegal state aid to the aeronautical giant Boeing in the near future. The EU did insist on "pushing for multilateralism" through bodies such as the WTO or the World Health Organisation, which the US has already said it will disassociate itself from because of disagreements over treatment of the coronavirus pandemic.
