The EU puts Ukraine at the centre of its China policy

If Beijing was in any doubt that its 12-point peace plan for Ukraine has gone down badly in Europe, those doubts can now be put to rest after a punchy speech by Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels yesterday. In perhaps the clearest formulation of the EU’s latest thinking on China so far, von der Leyen put Ukraine front and centre of Europe’s dealings with Beijing, saying that the way China interacts with Russia will be ‘a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward’. As for the peace plan, she accused Beijing’s proposal of being something that would ‘in effect consolidate Russian annexations’.

Von der Leyen will be visiting China next week, together with French President Emmanuel Macron. They are following in the footsteps of the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is currently in China. It’s clear the tone between European leaders and Beijing will be far less friendly and pragmatic than in previous years.