OSLO: China and Europe must reject “the Cold War mentality” together, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Friday, as European Union (EU) foreign ministers sought to “re-calibrate” their stance on China.
During a visit to Oslo, Qin Gang told journalists that some people were hyping up the narrative of democracy versus autocracy and even going to the length of having a new Cold War.
Qin added that if there is a new Cold War, the results would be even more disastrous, seriously damaging ties and cooperation between China and Europe.
He insisted that both sides should join hands to oppose the Cold War mentality and lead to increase coordination and exchanges among big powers.
Position towards China
The Chinese foreign minister’s comments came as his EU counterparts gathered in Stockholm in neighbouring Sweden, trying to find a common approach to dealing with China.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the informal meeting tried to unite the bloc to re-calibrate its position towards China.
Borrell told journalists that if Europe wanted to be relevant to the emergence of China as a great power, European member nations must be more united and act according to a common policy.
China and the EU are not seeing eye to eye on numerous matters like Taiwan, Ukraine, the treatment of Uyghurs and human rights. –AFP
