EU presses China over exports of rare earth elements and Ukraine war

Talks laic groundwork for a acme betwixt EU and Chinese leaders successful Beijing connected July 24 and 25.

The European Union’s overseas argumentation main has urged China to extremity restrictions connected the export of uncommon world elements and warned that Chinese firms’ enactment for Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine posed a superior menace to European security.

The statement from Kaja Kallas came connected Wednesday aft a gathering with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi successful Brussels.

The EU is seeking to amended its relations with China amid United States President Donald Trump’s tariff war, which has rocked large trading powers.

But alternatively of improvements, a commercialized spat has lone deepened betwixt Brussels and Beijing implicit alleged unfair practices by China. The 27-nation bloc is besides railing against the travel of captious tech to Russia’s subject done China.

On Wednesday successful her gathering with Wang, Kallas “called connected China to enactment an extremity to its distortive practices, including its restrictions connected uncommon earths exports, which airs important risks to European companies and endanger the reliability of planetary proviso chains”, a connection from her bureau said.

On trade, Kallas urged “concrete solutions to rebalance the economical relationship, level the playing tract and amended reciprocity successful marketplace access”.

She besides “highlighted the superior menace Chinese companies’ support for Russia’s amerciable warfare poses to European security”.

China says it does not supply subject enactment to Russia for the warfare successful Ukraine. But European officials accidental Chinese companies supply galore of the captious components for Russian drones and different weapons utilized successful Ukraine.

Kallas called connected China “to instantly cease each worldly enactment that sustains Russia’s subject concern complex” and enactment “a afloat and unconditional ceasefire” and a “just and lasting bid successful Ukraine”.

Wednesday’s discussions were to laic the groundwork for a acme betwixt EU and Chinese leaders connected July 24 and 25. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen volition question to China for the acme with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

Earlier successful the day, Wang besides met Costa arsenic portion of those preparations.

In that meeting, Wang called connected some sides to respect each other’s halfway interests and summation communal understanding, adding that “unilateralism and acts of bullying person earnestly undermined the planetary bid and rules”, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with European Council President Antonio Costa during a gathering successful Brussels [Francois Walschaerts/AFP]

Besides discussions connected improving bilateral ties, Kallas and Wang besides discussed the concern successful Iran.

While some leaders welcomed the de-escalation betwixt Israel and Iran, Kallas said she had “urged Iran to instantly restart negotiations connected its atomic programme and that Europe stands acceptable to facilitate talks”, according to a connection from her office.

Kallas and Wang besides “agreed connected the value of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty arsenic the cornerstone of the planetary atomic non-proliferation regime”.

The EU, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are parties to a 2015 atomic woody with Iran that the United States abandoned successful 2018, which they anticipation to revive. Iran has ever said its atomic programme is peaceful and denies seeking a weapon.