Burns said Chinese authorities had interfered in 61 public events hosted by the US Embassy in Beijing since November last year.
“This is something we are experiencing,” Toledo said during a panel at the World Peace Forum hosted by Tsinghua University.
“I thought that once the anti-COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, I would be able to meet freely again with Chinese professors, students and think tanks.
“No, we can’t. They need permission to see us. [the] The approval is not granted.”
Toledo said relations between the EU and China had “grown closer”.
“I wouldn’t say they’ve improved. They’re going through a difficult time.”
He also defended the EU’s move to impose punitive tariffs of up to 38% on electric cars imported from China, saying the measures were “fact-based” and “very reasonable”.
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02:03
Chinese electric cars face additional import tariffs of up to 38% from the EU
Chinese electric cars face additional import tariffs of up to 38% from the EU
The EU claims that the measures are the result of “market distortions” caused by overcapacity and low prices in China’s green and high-tech industries, driven by huge government subsidies. China denies these claims and has repeatedly urged the EU to remove the tariffs.
He said China had chosen not to attend even though the summit focused on issues important to the world’s second-largest economy, such as humanitarian issues and food security.
Beijing’s reasoning was that the conference did not meet criteria such as bringing Moscow to the table.
Toledo said China’s absence was “deeply disappointing” and stressed that the war in Ukraine was an “existential” issue for Europe.
“I have to say that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has done a lot of damage to China’s image. The fact that China did not participate in Geneva has done even more damage,” he added.
“If you look across the Atlantic, you see that our ally, the United States, is supporting us. But if you look to the East, to China, you see that China is not supporting us.”
Belgian Ambassador to China Bruno Angele also said the Ukraine war remains one of Europe’s top priorities and questioned China’s stance of remaining “neutral” in the conflict.
“So if you say you’re neutral, then your cherished principles have been violated, the UN Charter has been violated,” he added. “We are deeply concerned and we hope China will engage with us to find a solution.”
04:47
Will the far-right shift in the EU Parliament lead to changes in relations with China?
Will the far-right shift in the EU Parliament lead to changes in relations with China?
For Shi Mingde, a former Chinese ambassador to Germany, the relationship between the EU and China remains one of cooperation, but he is concerned about whether the relationship can remain stable given the “major changes” on both sides.
He noted that while economics and trade were once key pillars of bilateral ties, issues related to national security, geopolitics and ideological differences have come to shape the EU’s policy towards Beijing.
“This requires our attention. If this phenomenon continues, it will cause great damage to China-EU relations,” he told the same panel, adding that Beijing does not share the EU’s view of viewing China as a cooperative partner, economic competitor and systemic rival.
Regarding Russia, Shi said Europe “completely equates China with Russia” but that this is a “wrong” view.
The experienced Chinese diplomat stressed that mutual trust needs to be improved and differences should be properly resolved through dialogue.
“This is the main way to resolve disputes and frictions. We must prevent the trade dispute from escalating into a vicious cycle and avoid a major trade war between China and Europe.”
