Fraying Europe-China ties cloud upcoming 50th anniversary summit

Strained relations on display during Chinese minister's visit, with no progress on trade

- Lim Min Zhang

LONDON/BEIJING - When diplomats claim to have had a "full and frank exchange of views" with representatives of another country, what they might actually mean is that they engaged in a furious row.

This euphemism applies to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's latest tour of Europe, which concluded on July 5. Mr Wang was confronted with the entire array of Europe's complaints about China, and the Chinese Foreign Minister gave back as good as he got.

It may not have been a very complete discussion, but it was undoubtedly "frank." And China's displeasure at the outcome of the latest round of talks was not slow in coming.

Even before Mr Wang left Europe, the Commerce Ministry in Beijing on July 4 slapped tariffs of up to 35 per cent on European brandy in a symbolic yet clear trade warning - and perhaps a harbinger for worse to come.

The move — which exempted some French producers — was criticised by the European Commission on the same day as "unjustified" and "inconsistent with the applicable international rule".

In earlier talks in Brussels on July 2, Mrs Kaja Kallas, who heads the European Union's diplomatic service, accused China of supplying Moscow with dual-use technologies and manufactured goods that are incorporated into weapons Russia deploys against Ukraine.

Enabling war in Europe while simultaneously pursuing closer relations with Europe is "a contradiction that Beijing must address", the EU's chief diplomat stated.

China denies that it is helping Russia's military industry and, at least according to the official readout of the talks, Mr Wang tried to maintain a friendly tone.

There is "no fundamental conflict of interest" between Brussels and Beijing, and if Europe is currently facing various challenges including the war in Ukraine, "none of (these problems) was, is or will come from China", Mr Wang reportedly said.