China and the EU also in discord... "Negative consequences if Hong Kong Security Law is enforced"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Correspondent Park Sun-mi] As China accelerates the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the European Union (EU) has pressured China to withdraw the law following the United States. The diplomatic isolation of China is intensifying, with the U.S. announcing expanded sanctions on Chinese media and anti-China sentiment growing in India.

According to China's Xinhua News Agency on the 23rd, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang held a video conference the previous night in Beijing with Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. This was the first meeting since the EU leadership took office in December last year. From China's perspective, this meeting was held at a time when U.S.-China tensions are escalating ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, making it crucial to secure allies. It was also an opportunity to explain and seek to improve relations following the EU's recent criticism that China has been spreading misinformation related to COVID-19.

However, the statements released by China and the EU immediately after the meeting revealed discord between the two sides.

The meeting covered a range of topics including COVID-19, China-EU relations, the Hong Kong National Security Law, and international issues. The greatest divergence in views was on the Hong Kong issue. After the meeting, President von der Leyen warned at a press conference, "The Hong Kong National Security Law poses a serious risk to the 'one country, two systems' principle," adding, "If China pushes forward with the law, it will have to bear very negative consequences." She also said, "The EU is in contact with G7 partners on this issue," and "We clearly conveyed this position to the Chinese leadership today and urged reconsideration. Of course, China holds a different view, but we communicated our clear stance to the Chinese leadership."

Contrary to the EU's explicit criticism of China's push to enforce the Hong Kong National Security Law, Chinese media such as Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily did not disclose that the Hong Kong issue was discussed during the China-EU meeting.

The discord between China and the EU also surfaced in areas related to investment agreements and trade relations. The EU side expressed dissatisfaction and pressure, stating that China has not made sufficient progress in economic matters such as investment agreement negotiations and market opening. President von der Leyen pointed out, "There is a persistent imbalance in trade and investment relations between China and the EU. We need to elevate the currently low-level negotiations to a higher political level." President Michel also voiced frustration, saying, "Europe welcomes Chinese companies, but China has not reciprocated."

On the other hand, Chinese media focused their reports on the strengthening partnership between China and the EU amid the confrontation with the U.S. State-run media emphasized that President Xi stressed that "China is not a competitor but a partner of the EU" and highlighted that "there is fundamentally no conflict between China and the EU, and cooperation outweighs competition." The Chinese government also stated in a statement posted on its website, "The Chinese and EU leadership have made progress in discussions on the investment agreement. We will make every effort to conclude the agreement within this year."

Since the summit between the 27 EU member state leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for September in Germany, was canceled due to the impact of COVID-19, the discord revealed in this meeting is likely to continue without a clear breakthrough for the time being. This discord between China and the EU has been exposed amid the U.S.'s comprehensive pressure on China.

David Stilwell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, announced on the 22nd (local time) that the U.S. plans to designate four additional Chinese media outlets?China Central Television (CCTV), China News Service, People's Daily, and Global Times?as foreign missions. Media designated as foreign missions must register their assets in the U.S. and obtain prior approval when acquiring new assets. This is a strong sanction measure imposed by the U.S. on Chinese media. Previously, the U.S. designated five media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, CGTN, China Radio International, and China Daily, as foreign missions and announced plans to reduce the number of Chinese journalists in the U.S. from 160 to 100.

In the Asian region, anti-China campaigns are intensifying in India. When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, known as a China hawk, posted news of the additional designation of four Chinese media outlets as foreign missions on Twitter, Indians responded with comments supporting the U.S. and criticizing China. In India, a full-scale anti-China campaign has been underway following a deadly clash between soldiers of the two countries that resulted in dozens of deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.