EU wants to ‘reconnect’

BRUSSELS: EU leaders met their counterparts from South-East Asia for a summit in Brussels, looking to bolster ties in the face of the war in Ukraine and challenges from China.

Europe is keen to boost trade with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), which counts some of the world’s fastestgrowing economies.

“There is a need for Europeans to reconnect with Asean, one of the most dynamic areas in the world,” the French presidency said.

The EU has been on a diplomatic push to galvanise a global front against Moscow as its invasion has sent economic and political shock waves around the world.

But Asean’s 10 nations have been divided in their response to the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.

Singapore has gone along with Western sanctions on Russia, while Vietnam and Laos, which have close military ties to Moscow, have remained more neutral.

Along with Thailand, they abstained from a United Nations vote in October condemning Russia’s attempted annexation of regions of Ukraine seized since February.

The diverging views led to intense wrangling over a final declaration from the summit as the EU pushed for stronger language to condemn Moscow.

An EU official said Brussels was satisfied in the end that it sent a “crystal clear message” of the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence.

While Europe presses for a tougher response to Russia, there is another global giant looming over the summit.

Chinese claims over the South China Sea have set it against some neighbours and sparked fears in Europe over trade flows through the key global thoroughfare.

The EU is keen to pitch itself as a reliable partner for South-East Asia’s dynamic economies amid the growing rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

The EU and Asean are each other’s third-largest trading partner and Europe sees the region as a key source for raw materials and wants increased access to its markets.

EU nations are pushing to diversify key supply chains away from China as the war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe’s vulnerabilities.The EU is set to unveil investments that could be worth €10bil (RM47bil) for the region under its Global Gateway strategy designed as a counterweight to China’s largesse.

The investment package will be initially financed by public funds to support projects on infrastructure, energy, transport or digital, according to EU officials. — AFP/Bloomberg