EU Foreign Ministers Seeking Unified Approach To New China Policy - Sweden's Billstrom

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2023) EU foreign ministers gathering in Stockholm for an informal meeting on Friday will look for a united voice in dealing with a more assertive China, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said.

"I would like to underline the need to talk on how we can strengthen our solidarity also on China policy," the Swedish diplomat told reporters in a doorstep interview.

Billstrom pointed to Taiwan as a case in point, saying China's military posture required a serious and common approach from the 27-nation bloc.

"China's assertiveness, its military posturing in the Taiwan Strait is something, which we have to take very seriously and I look very much forward to debate on how to create more solidarity and unity on this," he said.

The European Union has been struggling to navigate between the United States' push for a tougher stance on China and its own interests, with foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saying this month that the European Union should not oppose China's rise to power.