China’s Wang Yi Urges EU to ‘Clarify’ Its Position on Partnership

China's Communist Party's foreign policy chief Wang Yi speaks as South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin looks on during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 July 2023. (Reuters)
China's Communist Party's foreign policy chief Wang Yi speaks as South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin looks on during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 July 2023. (Reuters)
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China’s Wang Yi Urges EU to ‘Clarify’ Its Position on Partnership

China's Communist Party's foreign policy chief Wang Yi speaks as South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin looks on during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 July 2023. (Reuters)
China's Communist Party's foreign policy chief Wang Yi speaks as South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin looks on during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, 13 July 2023. (Reuters)

The European Union must further "clarify" its position on its strategic partnership with Beijing, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, as EU leaders called for reduced dependence on China.

The launch of an EU-China comprehensive strategic partnership in 2003 had promised to elevate ties beyond trade and investment. But since 2019, the 27-nation bloc has called China an "economic competitor" and a "systemic rival", with Beijing's close relations with Moscow after Russia's invasion of Ukraine increasing the caution.

China and the EU should strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation, and the bloc should not "waver", let alone encourage back-pedaling in words and deeds, Wang told Borrell on Friday on the sidelines of regional meetings in Jakarta, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry on Saturday.

Last month, EU leaders committed to lessening the area's dependence on China and debated how to strike a balance between "de-risking" and cooperating in areas such as climate change. In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a hardening of China's position required Europe to "de-risk" both economically and diplomatically.

The Commission is also urging EU members to agree to stronger controls on exports and outflows of technologies for military use by "countries of concern".

During his meeting with Borrell, Wang called on both sides to guard against the politicization of economic issues and the use of "de-risking" as another term for "decoupling".

There is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the EU, Wang said.

Borrell, in a post on Twitter, described his talks with Wang on managing EU-China relations as "constructive" and "in-depth".

On Ukraine, Wang said China supports a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, and will continue to promote talks for peace and play a constructive role in seeking a political settlement of the crisis.

Borrell tweeted that he had "expressed EU expectations as to China's role to help ending Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and to provide humanitarian assistance".

He said he and Wang "also discussed on preserving stability and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait".



Netanyahu Prepares Grounds to Dismiss Chief of Staff

Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)
Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)
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Netanyahu Prepares Grounds to Dismiss Chief of Staff

Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)
Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)

After the successful ousting of his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing the grounds to dismiss Army chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, reports in Tel Aviv revealed.
The PM’s intentions were visible through a series of preliminary measures. In a nine-minute video statement posted to social media on Saturday, Netanyahu claimed the ongoing investigation into the alleged theft and leak of classified documents, including by his aides, aimed at harming him and “an entire political camp.”
He then asserted that vital classified documents weren’t reaching him. “I am the prime minister. I need to receive important classified documents, and indeed sometimes important information doesn’t reach me.”
Netanyahu then defended his former spokesman Eli Feldstein, who is accused of leaking a classified document in a bid to sway public opinion against a truce-hostage deal in Gaza.
Last Thursday, Feldstein was charged with transferring classified information with the intent to harm the state.
The PM considered accusations against his spokesman as a “witch hunt” against his aides and Israelis who support him.
For the past 14 years, the Israeli right had run a large-scale incitement campaign against the security services. But in the last year, this camp increased its attack, particularly against the Chief of Staff, Halevi, who believes it is necessary to stop the war and ink a deal with Hamas.
The right-wing “Mida” website published a report entitled “Herzi Halevi’s Political Sabotage,” describing the man’s “rising against the Israeli political leadership.”
The report said Halevi's inappropriate behavior started during the first weeks of the war when the Army announced it was “ready for a ground attack,” accusing Netanyahu of delaying such an operation.
Mida then listed several other instances in which it described Netanyahu as a great leader who ordered strong attacks and deep military operations. It then accused the army of refraining from following his orders.
The report concludes that the “freeing of hostages file was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
In an April 2024 speech marking the six-month anniversary of the war, Halevi has said that it is time to end the war in Gaza and reach a prisoner swap deal with Hamas, while Netanyahu took a hardline stance, refusing to compromise on what he called “red lines.”
The Madi website also criticized Halevi for saying that the government was responsible for ordering the army of again operating in Jabalia, a decision that resulted in significant Israeli casualties.
“Halevi should have been dismissed as soon as the government was formed, and this was Netanyahu's mistake. But it is not too late to fix it. You can't win wars with rebel chiefs of staff,” the website wrote.