Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
European Council President Charles Michel met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on the sidelines of the G20 summit that concluded yesterday in New Delhi, India. The two sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues and stressed their interest in maintaining stable and constructive relations. According to a European statement issued in Brussels on Sunday evening, President Michel stressed the common interest in holding a summit between the European Union and China by the end of the year. He therefore stressed the importance of holding high-level sectoral dialogues before the summit, such as the tenth high-level economic and trade dialogue between the European Union and China, the strategic dialogue on foreign policy, and the digital dialogue. High-level dialogues have an important role to play in achieving meaningful outcomes for the summit.
The President stressed that high-level political dialogue is particularly useful and necessary to enhance mutual understanding and address various challenges in the context of our bilateral relations, but also in the context of more global issues. The European Union is a political project based on the values and principles that we hold dear, such as democracy, human rights and human dignity. These values guide our international work.
President Michel also recalled the European Council's recent discussions and conclusions on EU-China relations. The EU and China need to work together to address global challenges such as combating climate change, health epidemics and global economic challenges, especially debt relief.

The EU and China are important trading and economic partners, and we will continue to ensure that this relationship is balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial. The EU will continue to address critical vulnerabilities and diversify where necessary and appropriate without undermining vital economic interests.

The two sides discussed the global consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine, especially food and energy security. President Michel welcomed China's condemnation of the threat of use of nuclear weapons, and pointed out that China, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, bears a special responsibility in securing world peace and stability, as well as respecting international law.

President Michel stressed that the one-China policy is a fundamental principle in the relationship between the EU and China. At the same time, it is natural for the European Union to have economic relations with Taiwan.