China News Service, May 6th. According to a comprehensive report, the European Commission’s Vice-Chairman in charge of trade Don Brovskis said on May 4 that in view of the "deterioration of diplomatic relations" between China and Europe after mutual sanctions, it has actually " Suspend the approval of the China-EU Investment Agreement.
Subsequently, the EU issued a statement denying that the China-EU Investment Agreement is still in the legal review stage.
On May 4, Agence France-Presse reported that Dombrovskis said in an interview, “We have already suspended the European Commission’s political outreach activities in a certain sense.”
Regarding the China-EU Investment Agreement, he said: "It is obvious that the EU and China sanctions each other, including China's sanctions on members of the European Parliament, are currently not conducive to the approval of this agreement."
Eastbrovskys also added that promoting the ratification of this agreement "will depend on how extensive the relationship between the EU and China can develop."
However, according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post on the 5th, an EU spokesperson said that East Brovskis’ remarks were taken out of context.
In a written statement, the EU stated: “The agreement now requires legal review and translation before it can be submitted for adoption and approval. However, the approval process (of the agreement) cannot be separated from the continuous changes in the broader China-EU relations.”
The statement also wrote: "The prospects for ratification of the agreement will depend on the development of the situation."
The EU and China will complete negotiations on a China-EU investment agreement at the end of 2020.
The agreement needs to be approved by the 27 EU member states and the European Parliament before it can take effect.
Hannah Neumann, a member of the German European Parliament and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Subcommittee, said that the parliament will vote to pass a motion regardless of whether the report about Eastbrowskis is out of context.
Before the sanctions are lifted, all debates on the China-EU investment agreement will be "frozen."
Neumann said that in light of previous debates in the plenary meeting, most people suggested putting the agreement in the "fridge", which means not dealing with it.
Data map: French President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel.
On the other hand, French President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel both expressed support for the agreement.
German Chancellor Merkel reiterated her support for the EU-China Investment Agreement on the 5th.
She said that the agreement is of great significance for mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation between Europe and China. The agreement will provide stronger reciprocity in market access, while ensuring that the labor standards set by the International Labor Organization are maintained.
Merkel emphasized that despite the difficulties in signing it into force, she still believes that the EU-China Investment Agreement is a "very important effort." This is because it will ensure that both parties have stronger reciprocity in market access and ensure that the labor standards set by the International Labor Organization are maintained. "The mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides in the economic and trade field will also be developed."