When the European Union holds summits with partner countries, they are usually preceded by intensive negotiations on a final communiqué.

But when the leaders of the EU and China met via video conference on Friday, nothing of the sort had been prepared.

There is neither a joint statement, said a senior EU official before the end of the consultations, nor a joint press conference.

"Today's meeting is not business as usual because it was a wartime summit," said EU Council President Charles Michel afterwards.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a "decisive moment" in relations.

Both asked the Chinese President the crucial question that, from a European point of view, precedes everything else: What do you think of Russia's war of aggression, Xi Jinping?

So important was this point that Brussels made it loud and clear.

"The EU will call on China to strengthen the rules-based international order and uphold universal values ​​and principles," it said in a written statement accompanying the summit, the first since June 2020. "The EU strongly believes that neutrality is not possible in this war.

China should not assist Russia in counteracting or undermining the effects of EU and Western sanctions.” That was the main message Michel and von der Leyen conveyed to the Chinese leadership.

Beginning of a new era between Russia and China?

Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU was alarmed at the positioning of Beijing and Moscow.

At the start of the Olympic Games, Presidents Xi and Vladimir Putin met in early February and issued a statement "against further expansion of NATO".

While they presented this as the beginning of a "new era", EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell complained about a "revisionist manifesto".

The head of the EU Parliament's delegation for relations with China, Reinhard Bütikofer, even speaks of a "Moscow-Beijing axis" that is intended to herald a "new era of authoritarian great power politics".

The Green politician is convinced that there is no turning back for China and that the EU must also impose sanctions on Beijing.

The Council and Commission are registering with concern that official Chinese propaganda is adopting Russian narratives.

Sometimes Moscow is praised for the alleged protection of the civilian population in Ukraine, then the suspicion is perpetuated that Washington is helping Kyiv to develop biological weapons.

But there is still hope that Beijing will protect its interests independently of Moscow.

China had abstained from two UN votes condemning Russia's war of aggression - that could be a clue.

The country has the greatest interest in maintaining the principle of territorial integrity, explained the EU official, if only because of its claim to Taiwan.

In addition, it is economically dependent on political stability and close ties with the West.