China's growing international presence requires that EU member states develop a common stance to dealing with Beijing and reevaluate their strategy in the greater Indo-Pacific region, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2021) China's growing international presence requires that EU member states develop a common stance to dealing with Beijing and reevaluate their strategy in the greater Indo-Pacific region, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar said on Friday.
"We have to maintain a common approach of EU member states towards this country [China], especially given the ever-increasing presence of China in many diplomatic and foreign political areas and crises," Logar told a press conference after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Slovenia, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
The European Union's interests and priorities in Asia were among the topics discussed by its top diplomats, and the Slovenian minister said that member states "have to define a new strategy in the area of Indo-Pacific."
Over the past two decades, China has grown to be a major trade partner for the EU. Under its Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing has invested heavily in European cities which are projected to be part of the transcontinental trade framework. However, overall EU-China relations are marred by a number of issues, including climate change, human rights and Hong Kong.
