(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s top diplomat said Chinese-made drones that Russia is using in Ukraine are hurting Europe, sharpening her criticism of the Asian nation before the likely unveiling of EU sanctions.
“Drones from Chinese factories and North Korean troops, which attack peace in the middle of Europe, hurt our central security interests,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters during a visit to Beijing on Monday that included an earlier meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Baerbock didn’t provide evidence for the drone claim in the briefing and it’s unclear if she did during her earlier three-hour sitdown with Wang. China’s Foreign Ministry said last month that the nation “never provided any weapons and we have strictly controlled dual-use item, including the export of drones.” The ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment on Monday on whether Russia was using Chinese-made drones in Ukraine.
The German’s diplomat’s comments come as the European Union tries to crack down on countries aiding Russia’s war effort, with Baerbock saying in November that China’s growing assistance to Moscow “will and must have consequences.”
The EU has proposed sanctioning several Chinese firms that it claims helped Russian companies develop attack drones deployed against Ukraine. The EU sanctions could come within the next few weeks, a German official told Bloomberg News on Monday. Around 60% of Russian war goods have Chinese parts, and almost 20% of its fighter drones are made with Chinese help, added the official, who asked to remain unidentified discussing the sensitive issue.
At the beginning of their meeting in China’s state guest house, Baerbock told Wang that Russia’s war “affects our deepest security interests and challenges the peaceful European order.” The fact that North Korean troops had joined Russian forces showed that the war also having an effect on Asia, she added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Kyiv on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Scholz said in a statement that he plans to announce additional military equipment worth €650 million ($683 million) that will be delivered to Ukraine in December.
Europe and China are also at odds over imports of vehicles, prompting the EU to impose higher tariffs on the autos. Brussels has said that Chinese state subsidies for EVs distort competition. The government of Scholz voted against imposing tariffs because it fears countermeasures against its own car industry.
But Baerbock, a member of the co-governing Greens, takes a more critical position, saying earlier that Germany would “not tolerate others violating the international rules of the game to the detriment of German and European industry.”
She will also meet German business representatives Monday.
Cui Hongjian, a former Chinese diplomat who teaches at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Baerbock’s remarks before she arrived showed that her trip was aimed at achieving political ends, not for repairing ties between Beijing and Berlin.
“If Baerbock only focuses on political showmanship and unilateral pressure as her goals during her visit to China, the two countries may miss an important opportunity to coordinate countermeasures in the face of common challenges and curb common risks,” he said.
--With assistance from Colum Murphy.
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