The EU has criticized its ambassador to Beijing, after he allowed China to censor an open letter calling for closer co-operation during the pandemic. Officials in Brussels said Nicolas Chapatis made the wrong decision when he allowed a line - which said the corona-virus had originated in China - to be cut from the letter.
The document, published in the China Daily, had been signed by ambassadors from all EU states. But not all of them were informed of the change. The EU has sniffed an opportunity in tensions between China and the US over trade and more recently the pandemic. Brussels hopes to boost its trade ties with China and work together to fight climate change.
The incident is all the more awkward for Brussels following allegations that the EU’s foreign policy arm watered down language on China in a recent report on disinformation campaigns during the pandemic.
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