EU acts as advocate for Ukraine before China and latter has shifted its positions – expert
Ukraine should orient itself toward the position of the European Union regarding relations with China rather than the positions of its individual members, particularly because the European Union acts as Ukraine's advocate during contacts with the Chinese side, Volodymyr Holovko, senior researcher at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, has said.
"Europe constantly acts as a certain advocate for Ukraine in the eyes of Beijing, and here I would like to point out that China has shifted its positions. Last year... Xi Jinping said that Europe must definitely be at the negotiating table for peace. That is, this is the Chinese position, and it is different from Russia's position. And this is good for us," Holovko said during the presentation of the expert report "Ukraine's Movement Towards the EU: External Challenges and Internal Problems" at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency's press center on Tuesday.
The report was prepared by the Public Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
The document notes that despite the continuous growth of European-Chinese trade turnover, tensions between the parties are intensifying due to a significant trade imbalance in Beijing's favor, and China will try to maintain its current economic positions in the EU both through direct pressure on Brussels and by using its special political ties with individual European countries.
"The political dialogue between Ukraine and China remains low-intensity, despite consistent attempts by Ukrainian diplomacy to activate it. Obviously, the agenda for the near future involves organizing a visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to China, which should provide momentum for expanding intergovernmental interaction with a view toward a subsequent leaders' summit. However, as long as the 'hot phase' of the Russia-Ukraine war continues, radical changes in the Chinese position regarding Ukraine are unlikely to be expected. At the same time, China has clearly articulated a desire to participate in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, which will likely be accompanied by an intensification of political dialogue," the report says.
Holovko noted that Ukraine needs to monitor Chinese policy in the European Union and make practical recommendations for our authorities so that we take it into account.
He pointed out that in the EU, relations with China are viewed through three dimensions: "this is trade and investment cooperation, competition, and an adversary trying to promote a different picture of the world." Under these conditions, Brussels is trying to find answers across all three vectors, preparing and implementing a series of economic measures that have caused "many negative reactions" in Beijing. China is also trying to find partners among individual EU members, with the expert mentioning Slovakia, Hungary, and Spain.
"Regarding Ukraine, it turns out that Ukraine needs to find its bearings in this European situation, but considering that our agenda actually involves integration into the EU, in 2030, probably, or maybe a bit later, we should still orient ourselves toward Brussels' position on the Chinese issue rather than the positions of individual, even close countries to us," Holovko concluded.