Chinese organizers of a major trade fair in Shanghai removed from the opening ceremony a speech by European Council President Charles Michel that was supposed to criticize Russia’s “illegal war” in Ukraine and call for less trade dependence on China, diplomats told Reuters.

Charles Michel’s taped message was to be one of several statements by world leaders and heads of international organizations, including Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Friday, three European diplomats told Reuters.

Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters they were surprised that the speech was removed.

“President Michel has been invited to speak at the 5th Hongqiao/CIIE Forum in Shanghai,” Michel’s spokesman Barrett Leitch told Reuters. “At the request of the Chinese authorities, we provided a pre-recorded message, which ultimately never appeared. We sorted it out through the usual diplomatic channels.”

No one from the Chinese Foreign Ministry or the co-organizers of the exhibition, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Shanghai Municipal Government responded to Reuters requests for comment.

Other officials who spoke at the ceremony after Mr. Xi included the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, the CEO of the World Trade Organization, and the presidents of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Belarus, according to the exhibition’s official website. Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus is a staunch ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, whose country hosted thousands of Russian troops before and during what Moscow calls a “special operation” in Ukraine.

critical speech

The speech by the President of the European Council was supposed to sharply criticize Russia’s “illegal war against Ukraine” and say that Europe is learning “important lessons” from it, according to excerpts from the speech provided by European diplomats.

According to Michel, Europe was too dependent on Russia for fossil fuels, which led to a trade imbalance.

“In Europe, we want a balance in our trade relations … to avoid overdependence,” said diplomats familiar with what he was about to say. “This also applies to our trade relationship with China.”

Michel also had to ask China to do more to end the bloodshed in Ukraine.

China firmly refuses to criticize the Russian aggression that has hit cities across Ukraine and claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians since it began on February 24.

“China has a role to play in using its influence to stop Russia’s brutal war… through a so-called ‘limitless’ partnership with Russia,” Mr. Michel said, referring to the agreement announced by Xi and Putin in Beijing before the start of the war. war. “You, China, can help put an end to this,” he added.

Source: Reuters.