Recommendations on EU–China political relations

The European Parliament is sending the recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs. It was drawn up by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), with Hilde Vautmans (Renew) as rapporteur. The recommendation is non-legislative, so it does not amend any legislation and is not binding on anyone. It sets out the Parliament’s position on policy towards China. The quotations are taken from the official Czech version of the adopted text.

China and the war in Russia. According to the text, China “is decisively enabling Russia to wage an illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine”, as it is Russia’s largest supplier of dual-use goods and helps it to circumvent sanctions. The recommendation calls on China to immediately cease all assistance to Russia. It also calls for joint action with transatlantic partners and the G7: specific and time-bound demands on China and targeted sanctions against entities providing material support to Russia.

Taiwan. The recommendation reaffirms the ‘One China’ policy advocated by the EU, but points out that the EU ‘has never endorsed the “One China” principle’. It rejects any provocation or unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion. It also rejects pressure from China, which restricts Taiwan’s participation in international organisations and events. It calls for closer security coordination with partners in the region, including a permanent naval presence and joint exercises, and for preparations to be made for negotiations on an investment agreement with Taiwan.

Human rights and sanctions. According to the text, China is committing crimes against humanity, including mass detentions, the suppression of religious freedom and the destruction of the culture of some three million Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in Xinjiang. The recommendation also addresses Tibet and Hong Kong. It calls for the immediate release of named prisoners, including Ilham Tohti, Gui Minhai and Jimmy Lai. It condemns the death penalty and transnational repression, including the so-called ‘overseas police stations’.

The text welcomes China’s decision in April 2025 to lift restrictions on certain current and former MEPs and the Subcommittee on Human Rights. It points out, however, that sanctions continue to apply to more than 100 European citizens and institutions, including Samuel Cogolati, Dovilė Šakalienė, Adrian Zenze and Björn Jerdén. It calls on China to lift these sanctions entirely.

Trade. In the economic section of the recommendations, it notes that the EU’s trade deficit with China stood at €305.8 billion in 2024 and that 98 per cent of all rare-earth elements imported into the EU originate from China. It calls for stricter screening of foreign direct investment, a stronger tool against economic coercion, and the consistent collection of customs duties on goods sold via platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress.

How the vote went. Three of the four groups in the pro-European majority supported the recommendations almost unanimously, with none of them voting against. The EPP had 150 votes in favour and 9 MEPs abstained; Renew had 73 in favour and 1 abstention; and the Greens/EFA had 41 in favour and 8 abstentions.

The S&D was divided: 58 of its MEPs voted in favour, 63 abstained and 3 voted against. Those who abstained were mainly MEPs from the Italian (18), Spanish (18), Romanian (8), Portuguese (7) and Greek (4) delegations. The German (14), French (12), Austrian (5), Swedish (5) and other delegations voted in favour. The S&D did not comment on the vote separately, and Votemap has no documented reason as to why the group was divided.

Of the groups outside the pro-European majority, the ECR (68 in favour, 5 against, 4 abstentions) and PfE (55 in favour, 17 abstentions) voted predominantly in favour. The ESN (1 in favour, 23 against, 2 abstentions) and The Left (6 in favour, 33 against, 3 abstentions) voted predominantly against. The recommendation would have passed even without the votes of the ECR, PfE and ESN.