The European Parliament has rejected the ratification of a comprehensive investment cooperation agreement with China over sanctions imposed by Beijing against EU officials. Further discussion of this agreement is frozen – until the sanctions are lifted, according to a resolution of the European Parliament, adopted on Thursday, May 20, by a majority vote.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – May 21, 2021 – International News
MEPs also called on the European Commission to consult with parliament “before taking any steps to conclude and sign” the agreement.
Negotiations on investment cooperation between the European Union and China have been going on for several years. As a result, in December last year, Brussels and Beijing agreed on the main points of this agreement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the time that the EU, which has “the world’s largest open market”, is ready to cooperate in trade and investment with China
However, then the relationship between the parties deteriorated. In March, the EU imposed sanctions on officials in China’s Xinjiang province for persecuting Uighurs, China’s Muslim minority. China has taken appropriate measures against European politicians and scientists.
The EU’s investment agreement with China provides for greater transparency in state subsidies for Chinese companies and an end to the forced transfer of technology and other controversial Chinese practices, von der Leyen said earlier. In addition, the agreement gives the EU the opportunity to combat the use of forced labor in China, to take joint action to protect the climate, and promote based on the rules of international cooperation, said the head of the European Commission.
Negotiations on an investment agreement between the EU and China have been underway since the end of 2013. Critics of the agreement point to the difficult human rights situation in China, especially noting the use of forced labor.
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Source: Ukrgate