(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s top diplomat said Chinese-made drones that Russia is using in Ukraine are hurting Europe, sharpening her criticism of the Asian nation before the likely unveiling of sanctions by the EU.
“Drones from Chinese factories and North Korean troops, which attack peace in the middle of Europe, hurt our central security interests,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters during a visit to Beijing on Monday that included an earlier meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Baerbock didn’t provide evidence for the drone claim in the briefing and it’s unclear if she did during her three-hour sitdown with Wang. China’s Foreign Ministry said last month that the nation “never provided any weapons and we have strictly controlled dual-use items, including the export of drones.”
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement released Monday evening didn’t mention drones. In his meeting with Baerbock, Wang explained China’s position promoting peace in Ukraine, the ministry said. He also said that any differences between Germany and China “should not be an obstacle to cooperation.”
The German diplomat’s comments come as the European Union tries to crack down on countries aiding Russia’s war effort, with Baerbock saying in November that China’s growing assistance to Moscow “will and must have consequences.”
The EU has proposed sanctioning several Chinese firms that it says helped Russian companies develop attack drones deployed against Ukraine. The EU sanctions could come within the next few weeks, a German official told Bloomberg News on Monday. Around 60% of Russian war goods have Chinese parts, and almost 20% of its fighter drones are made with Chinese help, added the official, who asked to remain unidentified discussing the sensitive issue.
At the beginning of their meeting in China’s state guest house, Baerbock told Wang that Russia’s war “affects our deepest security interests and challenges the peaceful European order.” The fact that North Korean troops had joined Russian forces showed that the war also having an effect on Asia, she added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Scholz said in a statement that he plans to announce additional military equipment worth €650 million ($683 million) that will be delivered to Ukraine in December.
Europe and China are also at odds over imports of electric vehicles, prompting the EU to impose higher tariffs on the autos. Brussels has said that Chinese state subsidies for EVs distort competition. The government of Scholz voted against imposing tariffs because it fears countermeasures against its own car industry.
But Baerbock, a member of the co-governing Greens, takes a more critical position, saying earlier that Germany would “not tolerate others violating the international rules of the game to the detriment of German and European industry.”
The EU’s levies on Chinese EVs violate the principles of fair competition, Wang said, according to the Foreign Ministry statement. He added that the EU should “properly handle trade disputes through dialog and consultation.”
Cui Hongjian, a former Chinese diplomat who teaches at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Baerbock’s remarks before she arrived showed that her trip was aimed at achieving political ends, not for repairing ties between Beijing and Berlin.
“If Baerbock only focuses on political showmanship and unilateral pressure as her goals during her visit to China, the two countries may miss an important opportunity to coordinate countermeasures in the face of common challenges and curb common risks,” he said.
--With assistance from Qianwei Zhang.
(Updates with Wang Yi comments from China’s Foreign Ministry.)
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