The United States and the European Union on Thursday (December 2) expressed strong concerns about China’s “problematic unilateral actions” in the South China Sea and emphasized the need for close contact to manage “competitive and systemic confrontation” with Beijing.
The joint statement was issued after a meeting between US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and European External Action Agency Secretary-General Stefano Sannino in Washington.
The complexity of our respective relations with China only emphasizes the importance of continued consultation and coordination between the United States and China. #IThis is the purpose of our dialogue about China and the work we are doing as partners. https://t.co/pLbsV2c2Zd pic.twitter.com/jAZNKllOgw
— Wendy R. Sherman (@DeputySecState) December 2, 2021
It “emphasizes the importance of the U.S. and the European Union in maintaining continuous and close contact with our respective methods as we invest and develop the economy, cooperate with China where possible, and manage our competition and systemic competition with China responsibly. sex.”
The statement also said that the two sides discussed human rights violations in China, including the suppression of religious minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. It stated that they expressed their willingness to deepen information sharing between the United States and Europe regarding false information sponsored or supported by China.
“They expressed strong concern about China’s problematic unilateral actions in the South and East China Seas and the Taiwan Strait, which undermined peace and security in the region and had a direct impact on the security and prosperity of the United States and the European Union,” the statement added.
The statement was issued after the second meeting of the US-EU China Dialogue, which was established this year. Sherman and Sonnino are scheduled to continue discussions with China on Friday and hold high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific issue.
U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of working closely with allies to resist China’s growing power and toughening behavior on a global scale.
The official US briefing before the talks stated that Washington and Brussels had “increasingly converged” views of China’s “worrying behavior”.
The Director-General of the EU Military Staff and Vice Admiral Herve Blejean said in a separate speech at the Washington think tank that there is more room for coordination to “express our strong desire to defend maritime international law and oppose the de facto policy we have seen. South China Sea.”
Blajean told the Center for Strategic and International Studies that France is a large Pacific country, and other EU member states, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, and the former EU country, the United Kingdom, are also interested in the region.
“We have to look at how we can convey this message together, because when we are united, the power of information will be stronger, and how we interact with like-minded countries-Australia, the United States, Japan, ASEAN countries and so on.”
Bregen said that after a pilot project aimed at better coordinating the maritime presence of EU member states in the Gulf of Guinea in Africa, the EU may consider establishing a “maritime interest zone” in the South China Sea, and another in northern India. research. Ocean.
