EU parliament ‘freezes’ China trade deal over sanctions

Vincent Ni
20 May 2021

The European parliament has voted overwhelmingly to “freeze” any consideration of a massive investment deal with China, following recent tit-for-tat sanctions over Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur population in Xinjiang province.

According to the resolution, the parliament, which must ratify the deal, “demands that China lift the sanctions before parliament can deal with the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI)”. Some MEPs warned that the lifting of the sanctions would not in itself ensure the deal’s ratification.

The vote on the motion was passed by a landslide, with 599 votes for, 30 votes against and with 58 abstentions. Thursday’s outcome is yet another sign of the deterioration of the China-EU relations, and is not surprising to observers of the diplomatic ties.

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