China's Xi Urges EU To Act Independently In Light Of Anti-Beijing Sanctions Over Xinjiang

Beijing hopes that the European Union will show strategic independence in its foreign policy against the backdrop of anti-China sanctions introduced by the bloc and the United States over alleged human rights violations in the Chinese Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday during phone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2021) Beijing hopes that the European Union will show strategic independence in its foreign policy against the backdrop of anti-China sanctions introduced by the bloc and the United States over alleged human rights violations in the Chinese Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday during phone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"China's development [provides] opportunities for the EU. We hope that the EU will independently draw its own conclusions and assessments, and, in fact, will show its strategic independence," Xi said, as cited by the Chinese foreign ministry.

The president also said that there were new opportunities for developing relations between China and the EU but they encounter different challenges.

"The most important thing is to clearly understand the main vector of development of relations between China and the EU from a strategic point of view, respect each other and exclude interference," Xi added.

The leader also expressed China's readiness to discuss with the bloc a range of political issues, deepen and expand practical cooperation in all spheres.

Tension in relations between Beijing and Brussels escalated in late March after the bloc, along with Canada, the UK and the US, introduced a series of sanctions against Chinese citizens and organizations over alleged poor human rights records and what they perceive as persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang. Beijing responded by imposing retaliatory sanctions.