EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said crises in Ukraine and other global hot spots would be on the agenda at talks in Beijing beginning on Tuesday next week, Chinese state media reported.
Mogherini is leading an EU delegation attending an annual strategic dialogue with top Chinese officials, a forum in which the two sides exchange views and develop political and economic relations.
The EU is China’s biggest trading partner, while China is the EU’s second-largest.
Photo: AFP
Mogherini told Xinhua news agency that she was looking forward to “discussing how we can enhance our cooperation to bring an end to a number of crises and how we can prevent others.”
“This should be a new way of dealing with complexity: thinking strategically, looking at worrying signs that emerge and trying to prevent crises,” she added.
Mogherini was referring to events in Ukraine, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Libya, Xinhua said.
Her meetings include talks with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪).
Mogherini emphasized that the EU and China have begun to develop defense and security ties, with a focus on combating threats to international shipping.
“We will discuss how we can build on our successful cooperation on fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden and enhance our coordination in addressing the root causes of piracy,” she said.
Mogherini’s interview with Xinhua did not address whether human rights would be discussed, but she is under pressure from campaign groups to raise the issue.
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