China: High Representative Borrell met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi

On 25 September, High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) Josep Borrell met with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi in the margins of the 79^th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

They discussed the current geopolitical situation, focusing on the main challenges and threats that the EU and China have to face.

The HR/VP raised Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, reiterating his conviction that China's ongoing material and diplomatic support to Russia fuels Russia's war, thus contributing to a direct threat to European security. He expressed deep concern about China's increasing exports of large amounts of dual-use goods and items, which substantially help the build-up of Russia's military industrial base.

The HR/VP also underscored that any proposal for a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in Ukraine must be based on the UN Charter and considered that the joint statement with Brazil of May 2024 does not go in that direction.

The HR/VP and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also discussed the situation in the South China Sea and recent actions by the Chinese Coast Guard. The HR/VP called for de-escalation of tensions and reiterated that the UN Charter, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) should be upheld and respected at all times.

On the Middle East, in the face of the ongoing dramatic escalation in hostilities, the HR/VP and Foreign Minister Wang Yi recalled their shared commitment to a just and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the two-state solution.