Top officials from China and the European Union met Friday for a virtual summit overshadowed by the situation in Ukraine.
In a series of two meetings, E.U. leaders pressed Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping to rethink their tacit support for the Russian operation and warned Beijing against offering material support for it.
“We called on China to end the situation in Ukraine,” European Council President Charles Michel told reporters in Brussels after the meeting. “China cannot turn a blind eye to Russia’s violation of international law.”
The Chinese side indicated less interest in discussing the situation in Ukraine or its support for Russia, preferring to keep the focus on areas of China-E.U. cooperation. A Chinese readout of the meeting published during the call between Xi and E.U. leaders made scant mention of Moscow.
