Ambassador to France Deng Li says Europeans ‘assume that since China is developing, it must also be seeking hegemony’.
This month, the Post’s Xiaofei Xu sat down with Deng Li, China’s ambassador to France and Monaco, for an in-depth and wide-ranging interview. In part one, Deng outlines China’s diplomatic strategy in Europe.
China and Europe had no geopolitical conflict or fundamental clash of core interests, Wang told Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, as the pair met in Hangzhou.
The proper positioning of the two sides should be as partners, Wang said, adding: “China hopes that France will encourage the European Union to uphold genuine strategic autonomy and adopt a correct perception of China.”
Wang’s meetings with a string of European officials this week take place against the backdrop of continued mistrust – fuelled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, with many European leaders wary of Beijing’s strategic ties with Moscow, a trade deficit of over €300 billion (US$349 billion), and persistent trade frictions that have resulted in both sides imposing high tariffs.
“I think we should be inspired of what the US and China, to some extent, are doing – talking about trade, setting up some preconditions. If we invite Chinese investments to Europe, it must come with the precondition that we also have some kind of technology transfer,” said Rasmussen, who hosted the meeting.
