Deterioration of Sino-EU relations over Uyghur issue

Photo: Collected.

The European Union (EU) recently imposed sanctions on China over allegations of persecution of Uighur Muslims. China has also imposed retaliatory sanctions. The implementation of many coveted investment agreements has become uncertain due to such aggressive behavior of the two sides.

According to the German news agency Deutsche Welle, EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dambrovskis recently told AFP that the agreement could not be implemented in the face of sanctions. A spokesman for the European Commission said the process of ratifying the agreement with China had not yet begun. The first legal review did not take place. In his words, the sanctions imposed by China cannot be accepted in any way.

The much-anticipated investment agreement was signed between Brussels and Beijing last year. The purpose was to determine the terms of bilateral trade and investment. The agreement was signed last December after seven years of negotiations. According to EU rules, at this stage, the agreement must be approved by the member states. Exemption must also be obtained from the European Parliament. Only then can the agreement take effect. The agreement gave European businesses access to the Chinese market. And the way for Chinese investment in Europe would have been wide.

But the EU imposed sanctions on China last March over allegations of persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. In response, China also imposed retaliatory sanctions. From then on, questions began to arise about the approval and implementation of the agreement. It is thought that the economy may be losing out on diplomacy. And if that is the case, the much-desired investment agreement is about to take place in the cold storage.