‘Robust’ statement expected from U.S.-EU meeting on China -U.S. official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and the European Union are expected to issue a “robust” joint statement from a meeting on Thursday on their approach to China, reflecting their increasing convergence on the challenges posed by Beijing, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Secretary General of the European External Action Service Stefano Sannino will co-chair a second U.S.-EU Dialogue on China on Thursday and high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific on Friday, the State Department said. A senior State Department official briefing reporters said Thursday’s meeting would focus on areas for cooperation in the U.S. and EU policies on China, including economic and technology issues, human rights, multilateralism, disinformation, security and how to pursue “results-oriented cooperation” with China in areas where interests align.

“We expect the statement to be robust and cover a range of topics far broader and more detailed than the first joint statement released in May,” the official said, referring to the inaugural dialogue earlier this year. “This reflects the increasingly convergent U.S. and EU outlook on the PRC and its increasingly concerning behavior. And it demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to rebuild our alliances and partnerships as we compete with the PRC,” the official added, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

The official said Taiwan was also expected to be a topic for discussion amid its plans to open a representative office in the capital of EU member state Lithuania, something that has angered Beijing, which claims the self-governing island as its own https://www.reuters.com/world/lithuania-urges-europe-increase-indo-pacific-ties-face-chinese-coercion-2021-11-24.